\ 


HAND 
BOOK 

Connecticut 
Agriculture 


^[  Prepared  by  the  Secre- 
tary and  published  by  the 
Board  of  Agriculture 


O 


HANDBOOK    of 
Connecticut   Agriculture 


PREPARED  <BY  THE  SECRETARY  AND  PUBLISHED  BY 
THE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE  Nineteen  Hundred  and  One 


T.  S.  GOLD,  Secretary 


Printed  by    THE    CASE,    LOCK  WOOD  &  BRAIN ARD   CO.,   Hartford,   Conn. 

1901 


Wm.  H.    Taylor. 


*'J  *'•*   ,'«*•'••       ••      J     •*• 


•  V*    -.     v" 


HON.  GEORGE  P.  MCLEAN, 

Governor  of  Connecticut. 


272131 


THEODORE  SEDGWICK   GOLD, 

Secretary  of  Connecticut  Board  of  Agriculture. 


State  of  Connecticut 


BOARD   OF   AGRICULTURE 


Organized  i865 


Re-organized  1897 


EDWIN  G.  SEELEY, 
T.  S.  GOLD, 
CHARLES  A.  THOMPSON 
Dr.  E.  H.  JENKINS,     . 
Dr.  W.  C.  STURGIS,    . 
Prof.  B.   F.   KOONS,     . 
N.  S.  PLATT, 


Gov.   GEORGE    P.   McLEAN,   President  ex  officio 

Vice-President 

Secretary 

Treasurer 


Roxbury, 

West  Cornwall, 

Melrose, 

New  Haven,    . 

New  Haven,    . 

Storrs,     . 

New  Haven,    . 
FRED.  DOOLITTLE, 
SEAMAN  MEAD,         \-  Auditors 
E.  JUDSON  MINER, 


Chemist 
Botanist 
Entomologist 
Pomologist 


Members  Appointed  by  the  General  Assembly 

EDMUND  HALLADAY,  Suffield,  Hartford  County 
FRED'K  DOOLITTLE,  Cheshire,  New  Haven  County 
E.  JUDSON  MINER,  Bozrah,  New  London  County 
SEAMAN  MEAD,  Greenwich,  Fairfield  County 
NATHANIEL  G.  WILLIAMS,   Brooklyn,  Windham  County 
EDWIN  G.   SEELEY,  Roxbury,  Litchfield  County 
EDBERT  D.  HAMMOND,  Cromwell,  Middlesex  County 
CHARLES  A.  THOMPSON,  Melrose,  Tolland  County 


Members  Appointed  by  the  Governor  and  the  Senate 

CHARLES  L.  TUTTLE,  Hartford 
JAMES  F.   BROWN,   North  Stonington 
CHARLES  E.  CHAPMAN,  Westbrook 
IVERSON  C.   FANTON,  Westport 


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ft  ft  Handbook  of  ft  ft 
Connecticut  Agriculture 


HE  Board  receives  from-the  State  $3,500 
annually,  also  the  State  prints  5,000 
copies  of  Annual  Report,  not  exceed- 
ing 35°  pages. 

The  Board  expends  the  State  bounty 
in  payment  of  salaries  of  secretary  and 
treasurer,  paying  traveling  expenses,  in 
holding  conventions  or  institutes,  extra  printing,  and  other 
expenses  as  required  for  the  agricultural  interests  of  the 
State.  This  current  year  twelve  hundred  dollars  of  this  fund 
is  expended  in  collection  of  exhibit  for  Buffalo  and  in  extra 
printing. 

Our  thanks  are  due  to  Hon.  Leverett  Brainard  for  the 
exhibition  at  Buffalo  of  a  full  set  to  date  of  Reports  of 
the  Board,  bound  for  his  own  library,  and  donated  to  the 
Agricultural  College  of  Connecticut. 

By  the  authority  of  the  Connecticut  Board  of  Agriculture, 
as  secretary,  I  have  been  authorized  to  publish  an  Illustrated 
Handbook  of  Connecticut  Agriculture.  The  task  then 
seemed  easy,  as  it  was  a  familiar  subject  to  me,  but  on  study 
the  material  demands  encyclopedic  space,  rather  than  the 
limited  extent  of  a  Handbook. 

Credit  is  given  and  thanks  are  due  to  those  who  have  fur 
nished  many  of  the  illustrations  and  also  descriptions  of 
matters  of  interest.  Otherwise  the  material  is  gathered  from 
memory  and  historical  records  of  common  circulation. 

Dear  reader,  kindly  receive  my  well  meant  efforts,  and 
overlook  the  omission  of  the  thousand  and  one  familiar  scenes 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  g 

and  events  which  are  so  clear  to  the  mind  and  eye  of  every 
son  and  daughter  of  Connecticut,  wherever  they  have  wan- 
dered from  the  old  home,  and  alike  to  the  children  and  grand- 
children, who  have  heard  the  tale  on  their  mother's  lap  — 
memories  that  can  never  be  effaced.  To  such  is  this  effort 
dedicated,  that  the  memory  of  the  past  may  be  the  inspiration 
of  the  future,  that  the  industry  of  the  fathers  and  mothers, 


BLINN   MOUNTAIN,    DAM  ON    HOUSATONIC,  WEST  CORNWALL. 


C.  N.  E.  R.  R. 


their  frugality,  patience,  heroism,  and  patriotism,  supported 
by  a  living  faith  in  a  controlling  Providence,  leading  to  an 
appreciation  of  the  benefits  of  education,  not  only  as  a  means 
of  mental  and  moral  growth,  but; as  providing  for  material 
wants,  and  the  love  of  liberty  and  power  to  obtain  and  main- 
tain it.  No  wild  growth  has  sprung  from  these  seeds  of  New 
England  life,  but  the  whole  round  world  now  enjoys  a  share 
in  the  harvest. 

Connecticut    soil,    climate,    location,    geography,    natural 


i 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 


I  I 


productions,  industries,  education,  characteristics,  can  only 
receive  each  a  single  paragraph  in  this  Handbook  of  Con- 
necticut Agriculture,  but  there  is  such  a  natural  inter- 
dependence between  them  all,  with  a  reflex  influence  each 
upon  every  other  that  they  cannot  be  omitted  even  if  confined 
to  a  single  line. 

Connecticut    is   bounded  on  the  south    by  Long    Island 


PUTNAM   WOLF-DEN,  POMFRET. 

Sound,  the  noblest  water  way  on  the  American  coast,  giving 
direct  communication  with  New  York,  Providence,  and  the 
whole  world  beyond.  Her  daring  navigators  have  hunted  the 
whale,  the  grandest  game  on  earth,  to  the  Arctic  regions,  and 
have  extended  trade  to  the  islands  in  the  tropics,  bringing 
back  the  treasures  of  sea  and  land. 

The  Connecticut  river,  the  gem  of  New  England,  sepa- 
rating two  states  and  intersecting  two  others, — 

"No  watery  glades  through  richer  valleys  shine, 
Nor  drinks  the  sea  a  lovelier  wave  than  thine." 


12 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 


The  Housatonic,  the  river  of  the  mountains,  rising  in  the 
Berkshire  Hills,  meets  the  Sound  at  Stratford.  The  Thames, 
with  the  best  harbor  on  the  New  England  coast,  is  navigable 
to  Norwich.  These  and  their  tributaries,  fed  by  mountain 


ON   THE   NAUGATUCK. 


Conn.  Monthly. 


springs  and  lakes,  furnish  abundant  water  power,  while  the 
whole  shore  of  the  Sound  abounds  in  oysters,  clams,  lobsters, 
etc.,  that  make  seaside  resorts  accessible  to  all. 

Population  of  State,  census  of  1900,  908,355,  an  increase 
of  21.7  per  cent,  in  ten  years. 

The  surface  of  the  State  is  varied  —  hills  and  valleys,  salt 
meadows  on  the  coast,  with  intervales  on  borders  of  streams. 
Bear  Mountain  in  Salisbury  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
State  is  2,355  feet  high>  and  there  are  many  lakes  in  the 
State  more  than  1,000  feet  above  sea  level. 


j.  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

The  soil,  made  up  by  the  attrition  and  decay  of  granite, 
limestone,  trap,  and  sandstone,  furnishes  the  mineral  elements 
needed  for  the  growth  of  plants,  held  in  keeping  for  future 
ages,  and  yielding  their  stores  of  locked-up  wealth  to  the 
skill  and  industry  of  man. 

With  wood  and  stone  for  building  and  water  power  every- 
where abundant,  manufactures,  first  for  home  consumption, 
then  for  the  world's  use,  have  been  an  important  feature  in 
the  progress  of  the  State.  The  iron  mines  of  Salisbury  and 
other  towns  in  Litchfield  county,  with  furnaces  and  forges, 
even  before  the  Revolution,  were  making  the  best  iron  in  the 
country,  furnishing  much  needed  supplies  of  war  material  —  a 
reputation  still  sustained. 

Almost  all  mineral  substances  exist  in  the  State,  but  so 
far  only  iron,  marble,  and  limestone,  other  stones  and  clays, 
have  become  of  commercial  importance. 

In  naming  the  good  things  about  Connecticut  it  would  be 
unpardonable  to  omit  the  shad  in  referring  to  the  "  harvest  of 
the  sea,"  for  everybody  ought  to  know  that  the  best  shad 
always  return  to  their  Connecticut  home.  The  success  of 
the  Fish  commission  in  breeding  this  rover  of  the  sea  to  main- 
tain its  abundance  is  very  satisfactory. 

Climate.  Though  somebody  is  always  complaining  of  the 
weather,  where  will  you  find  a  more  varied  and  healthful 
climate  than  in  Connecticut?  Sheltered  from  the  blasts  of 
the  Atlantic  by  Long  Island  and  Cape  Cod,  by  the  mountain 
forests  of  Vermont  and  the  Adirondacks  from  the  Arctic  waves, 
while  we  receive  all  the  tonic  we  can  bear,  we  share  also  in 
the  kindly  influence  of  the  Gulf  Stream  and  the  zephyrs  that 
sweep  with  more  or  less  power  through  the  pines  of  the 
south.  If  one  wants  wind,  go  to  our  hill  tops  ;  if  shelter, 
seek  some  nook  protected  by  forest  covered  hills  and  a  grove 
of  white  pine — ;  its  sighs  will  soothe  while  the  roar  of  the  storm 
on  the  hills  marks  the  tempest  which  does  not  reach  your 
arcadian  retreat.  One  of  our  mountain  brooks  with  its  gentle 
murmur  completes  the  scene,  and  it  needs  no  landscape 
gardener  to  improve  upon  nature. 


i6 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 


Flax,  wool,  and  leather,  home  grown  and  literally  home 
manufactured,  served  for  clothing  till  the  last  century  when 
factories  sprang  up,  and  cotton  supplanted  flax,  and  silk  was 
added  to  our  home  grown  products — then  the  town  of  Mans- 
field was  celebrated  for  raising  silkworms.  The  roadside 
and  many  fields  were  planted  with  the  white  mulberry,  and 
this  became  the  chief  industry  of  the  town  ;  some  of  these 
trees  remain  as  a  testimony  to  the  patience  and  skill  of  those 


MILFORD   MEMORIAL  BRIDGE. 


Conn.  Monthly 


early  days.  The  war  of  1812  gave  great  impetus  to  silk  pro- 
duction, and  fancy  work  was  laid  aside  even  in  our  cities  to 
give  place  to  this  attractive  industry,  the  production  and 
manufacture  of  silk.  In  my  boyhood  I  obtained  eggs 
from  where  a  few  were  still  reared  as  a  productive  industry, 
and  I  raised  the  cocoons  from  which  a  member  of  my  family, 
familiar  with  the  work,  prepared  a  quantity  of  nice  sewing  silk. 
The  city  boy  sees  wheels  and  engines  and  hammers  that 
make  things,  the  country  boy  sees  what  God  makes  from  the 
seed,  the  bud  and  the  flower ;  "  first  the  blade,  then  the  ear, 
and  then  the  full  corn  in  the  ear." 


i8 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 


Agriculture  in  Connecticut  has  been  directed  in  its  loca- 
tion partly  by  soil  and  climate,  but  more  especially  by  some 
accidental  circumstances. 

Thus  tobacco  finds  a  congenial  soil  in  the  valleys  of  the 
Connecticut  and  Housatonic  rivers  and  their  tributaries. 
Litchfield  and  Windham  have  led  in  the  dairy,  while  the 
growth  of  cities  and  manufacturing  villages  has  made  demand 
not  only  for  the  products  of  agriculture  that  pertain  to  them, 


LAKE   WANGUM,  NORFOLK'S   WATER   SUPPLY. 


C.  N.  E.  R 


but  also  for  a  supply  of  food  that  does  not  allow  of  trans- 
portation. 

In  manufactures,  Litchfield  county  leads  in  iron,  Fairfield 
county  in  hats,  the  Naugatuck  valley  in  brass  and  copper, 
Eastern  Connecticut  took  cotton,  for  was  it  not  near  Rhode 
Island  ? 

"  Did  you  ever  go  to  Pawtucket  ? 

Lord,  what  a  racket, 
Fifty  crabs  in  a  bucket." 

These  and  other  manufactures  of  wool,  rubber,  tools,  and 
machinery  have  been  scattered  every  where,  water  power  being 
the  chief  element  in  controlling  location  till  steam  power  has 


2O         HANDBOOK  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE. 

wrought  great  changes.  It  has  been  said  that  we  "  not  only 
make  everything  in  Connecticut,  but  we  make  the  tools  and 
machines  to  make  it  with." 

We  cannot  in  this  brief  sketch  notice  everything  of  im- 
portance, nor  in  our  illustrations  justly  balance  and  select  all 
those  scenes  of  the  most  interest,  much  less  give  the  history 
which  so  largely  adds  interest  to  them,  but  we  give  samples 
only,  and  the  traveler  will  find  that  every  half  mile  will  give 
him  a  change  of  view  of  mountain,  valley,  lake  or  river, 
orchard  or  meadow,  village  spire,  farm  house  or  walls  of  a 
factory  where  the  hum  of  machinery  marks  a  busy  hive. 

Agriculture  has  to  do  with  and  calls  to  its  aid  all  the 
powers  of  nature  and  art ;  all  sciences  contribute  to  its 
success. 

Every  condition  requires  different  treatment,  and  so  if  the 
reader  does  not  find  everything  to  his  taste,  remember  that 
tastes  differ,  even  if  the  matter  is  no  better  arranged  than 
were  the  divisions  on  our  Connecticut  farms  into  meadow, 
plowland,  pasture,  and  woodland  ;  it  is  because  they  "  come  so 
by  nature"  and  we  can't  help  it.  Diversity  of  material  does 
not  allow  of  classification  except  with  great  repetition. 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT   AGRICULTURE. 


THE   CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT 
STATION. 

Board  of  Control. —  His  Excellency,  the  Governor,  President ;  T.  S.  Gold, 
Vice-President,  West  Cornwall  ;  E.  H.  Jenkins,  Director ;  Wm.  H.  Brewer, 
Secretary  and  Treasurer ;  W.  O.  Atwater,  Middletown  ;  B.  W.  Collins,  Meri- 
den  ;  Jas.  H.  Webb,  Hamden  ;  Edwin  Hoyt,  New  Canaan. 

Director.—  E.  H.  Jenkins. 

^Advising  and  Consulting  Chemist. —  S.  W.  Johnson. 

Chemists.—  A.  L.  Winton,  T.  B.  Osborne,  A.  W.  Ogden,  I.  F.  Harris, 
M.  C.  Williams. 

Botanist. —  W.  C.  Sturgis. 

Horticulturist. —  W.  E.   Britton. 

In  Charge  of  Work  on   Waste  Land. —  Walter  Mulford. 

Grass  Gardener.  —  J.  B.  Olcott. 

Clerk  and  Librarian. —  Miss  V.  E.  Cole. 

Assistant  Clerk. —  Miss  L.  M.  Brautlecht. 

In  Charge  of  Buildings  and  Grounds. — C.  J.  Rice. 

Laboratory  Helpers. —  Hugo  Lange,  William  Pokrob. 

HISTORY. 

Connecticut  was  the  first  State  in  America  to  establish  an 
agricultural  experiment  station  as  a  separate  institution.  A 
law  was  enacted  on  July  20,  1875,  appropriating  $2,800  to 
Wesleyan  University  at  Middletown,  "  $700  per  quarter  for 
two  years,"  beginning  October  I,  1875,  "to  be  used  in  em- 
ploying competent  scientific  men  to  carry  on  the  appropriate 
work  of  such  a  station."  The  university  tendered  free  use  of 
its  laboratories  and  other  facilities,  and  Mr.  Orange  Judd,  a 
graduate  and  patron  of  the  university,  many  years  editor  of 
the  American  Agriculturist,  contributed  $1,000  toward  the 
payment  of  expenses.  Prof.  W.  O.  Atwater  was  made 
director. 

Before  the  expiration  of  the  two  years  fixed  for  the  dura- 
tion of  this  station,  the  legislature  established  its  successor 
as  an  independent  and  permanent  institution  of  the  State, — 
"the  Connecticut  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,"  —  by  an 
act  which  became  a  law  March  21,  1877,  and  appropriated 
$5,000  annually  for  its  support. 

This  station,  by  vote  of  its  Board  of  Control,  was  opened 
July  i,  1877,  at  New  Haven,  with  Prof.  S.  W.  Johnson  as 


22  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

director,  in  rooms  placed  at  its  disposal  and  fitted  up  for  its 
use  by  the  authorities  of  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School  of 
Yale  College.  The  station  occupied  these  quarters,  rent  free, 
for  six  years.  In  1882  the  annual  appropriation  was  raised 
to  $7,000,  and  a  special  appropriation  of  $25,000  was  granted 
"for  the  purpose  of  buying  a  suitable  lot  and  erecting  thereon 
buildings  and  equipping  the  same  for  the  permanent  use  of 
the  station."  The  station  then  bought  a  piece  of  land  of 
about  five  acres,  which  had  on  it  a  commodious  house  and  a 
barn,  and  added  a  chemical  laboratory.  This  place  is  still 
occupied  by  the  station. 

In  May,  1887,  the  Connecticut  legislature  accepted  the 
provisions  of  the  act  of  Congress,  appropriating  to  each  State 
annually  the  sum  of  $15,000  for  experimental  work,  and  des- 
ignated the  board  of  control  of  this  station  to  receive  and  ex- 
pend one-half  of  this  appropriation.  In  the  same  year  a  bio- 
logical laboratory  was  built  and  equipped.  In  1884  the  an- 
nual State  appropriation  was  made  $8,000  and  so  continued 
until  1895,  when  it  was  raised  to  $12,500.  In  the  latter  year 
a  special  appropriation  of  $2,500  was  given  for  better  equip- 
ping the  laboratories  and  for  other  specified  purposes. 

In  1877  the  staff  consisted  of  the  director  and  two  chem- 
ists. The  vice-director,  Dr.  E.  H.  Jenkins,  was  appointed  in 
1883.  In  1888  a  botanist  was  added  to  the  staff,  and  a  ste- 
nographer-clerk was  employed.  In  1894  a  horticulturist  was 
engaged,  and  from  time  to  time  laboratory  helpers,  sampling 
agents,  and  a  night  watchman  have  been  added  to  the  work- 
ing force.  After  twenty-three  years  of  continuous  service, 
Professor  Johnson  retired  from  the  directorship  January  I, 
1900,  but  retains  his  connection  with  the  station  as  advis- 
ing chemist.  The  vice-director,  Dr.  E.  H.  Jenkins,  was  ap- 
pointed his  successor. 

EQUIPMENT. 

The  station  buildings  comprise  an  office  building,  chemi- 
cal laboratory,  biological  laboratory,  with  three  greenhouses  at- 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  2~ 

tached,  glass  vegetation  house  for  pot  cultures  in  the  warmer 
seasons,  barn,  and  ice-house.  The  office  building  is  a  three- 
story,  brick-filled  frame  house,  containing  the  station  offices 
and  library  and  the  dwelling  of  the  director.  It  has  two  ad- 
ditions, each  two  stories  high,  which  are  the  quarters  of  the 
superintendent  of  buildings  and  grounds.  In  the  basement 
of  the  main  building  are  the  coal  bunkers  and  a  tubular  boiler, 
from  which  the  house,  laboratories,  and  greenhouses  are 
heated.  The  chemical  laboratory  is  a  two-story  brick  struc- 
ture. On  the  first  floor  is  the  main  laboratory,  a  sampling- 
room  fitted  with  mills  for  grinding  samples,  and  storage 
rooms  adjoining.  On  the  second  floor  are  two  laboratories 
and  two  small  storage  rooms.  In  the  basement  are  two 
storerooms  and  various  pieces  of  apparatus.  The  biological 
laboratory  is  a  two-story  frame  house,  in  which  the  botanical, 
horticultural,  and  entomological  divisions  are  accommodated. 
The  basement  contains  a  dark  room  for  photography  and  a 
storage  room.  On  the  main  floor  are  two  workrooms,  and 
on  the  second  floor  a  museum.  Connected  with  this  build- 
ing are  a  small  plant-house  for  the  use  of  the  mycologist,  a 
wooden  frame  greenhouse,  and  an  iron  frame  greenhouse  with 
a  potting  house  and  workroom  attached,  all  heated  by  steam. 
These  are  devoted  wholly  to  experimental  work. 

The  station  now  owns  about  six  acres  of  land,  on  which 
the  buildings  are  situated.  It  keeps  no  live-stock  for  experi- 
mental purposes. 

In  the  botanical  division  is  an  herbarium  containing  over 
5,000  specimens  of  phaenogams  and  vascular  cryptogams, 
and  a  number  of  mycological  exsiccati.  There  are  two  col- 
lections of  seeds  of  economic  importance.  The  cabinet  of 
insects  contains  over  3,000  specimens.  There  are  also  collec- 
tions of  minerals,  rocks,  and  soils,  fertilizers  and  fertilizer 
chemicals,  native  phosphates  and  potassic  minerals,  pure  and 
adulterated  food  products,  and  charts,  diagrams,  tables,  and 
lantern  slides  for  illustrating  addresses  on  agricultural  subjects. 

The  station  has  sets  of  the  more  important  agricultural, 


24 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 


horticultural,  chemical,  physiological,  and  botanical  journals 
and  the  essential  books  of  reference  on  these  subjects,  num- 
bering over  2,000  bound  volumes,  exclusive  of  pamphlets  and 
station  publications.  Some  of  the  books  are  quite  rare  and 
costly.  The  private  libraries  of  the  director,  advising  chem- 
ist, and  botanist  contain  sets  of  other  journals  and  many  older 
works  of  reference,  which,  taken  with  the  station  library,  very 
fully  represent  the  useful  literature  of  agriculture  and  the  re- 
lated natural  sciences.  While  the  station  has  no  official  or 
business  connection  with  Yale  University,  the  university 
library,  numbering  266,000  volumes  and  100,000  pamphlets; 
the  special  technical  library  of  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School, 
of  about  5,000  volumes,  and  the  special  chemical  libraries  of 
the  same  school  and  of  the  other  university  laboratories  are 
readily  accessible  to  members  of  the  station  staff.  The  pri- 
vate libraries  of  many  specialists  connected  with  Yale  Uni- 
versity can  also  be  consulted. 

LINES    OF    WORK. 

The  station  has,  strictly  speaking,  no  control  duties.  It 
is  required  to  examine  and  report  upon  the  composition  of 
foods  and  fertilizers,  but  no  prosecutions  for  violations  of  the 
laws  are  made  by  the  station  or  its  officers.  The  station  is 
authorized  to  take  samples  of  any  lot  or  package  of  commer- 
cial fertilizer  which  may  be  in  the  possession  of  any  dealer, 
and  is  required  by  statute  to  analyze  annually  at  least  one 
sample  of  every  brand  of  commercial  fertilizers  sold  in  the 
State,  to  publish  in  its  reports  the  results  of  such  analyses, 
and  to  send  at  least  two  copies  of  its  bulletins  to  every  post- 
office  in  the  State. 

The  station  is  required  by  statute  "  at  such  times  and 
places  and  to  such  extent  as  it  may  determine  "  to  examine 
food  products,  which  are  defined  by  the  statute  as  "  anything 
used  as  food  or  drink  by  men,  horses,  or  cattle."  Any  cases 
of  adulteration  must  be  reported  to  the  dairy  commissioner, 
who  is  charged  with  bringing  prosecutions.  The  station 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  2* 

must  make  an  annual  report  of  this  work  to  the  governor,  not 
to  exceed  400  pages. 

The  station  is  also  authorized  by  statute  to  collect  sam- 
ples of  concentrated  feeding  stuffs,  and  is  required  to  cause 
at  least  one  sample  of  each  brand  of  feeding  stuff  collected 
to  be  analyzed,  so  far  as  to  determine  crude  protein  and  fat, 
and  annually  to  publish  these  analyses,  with  such  additional 
information  in  relation  to  their  composition,  character,  and 
use  as  may  seem  important. 

Though  not  required  by  law,  the  station  does  all  the 
chemical  work  requested  by  the  State  dairy  commissioner, 
consisting  chiefly  of  the  analysis  of  molasses,  butter,  and  vin- 
egar, and  furnishes  expert  evidence  in  court  when  needed  by 
the  commissioner. 

The  total  number  of  samples  of  materials  that  have  been 
examined  in  the  chemical  laboratory  amounts  to  24,630. 

Connecticut  includes  within  its  boundaries  22, 264  acres  of 
salt  marsh  and  about  1,000  acres  of  brackish  marsh,  of  which 
nearly  one-fourth  lie  in  the  neighborhood  of  New  Haven.  In 
1889  the  station  made  an  extended  study  of  the  botanical  and 
chemical  composition  of  the  forage  that  grows  on  these 
marsh  lands.  Chemical  analyses  have  also  been  made  for 
the  purpose  of  learning  something  of  the  agricultural  value  of 
swamp  muck  or  peat,  soils,  marine  mud,  seaweeds,  lime- 
stones, maize  raised  in  Connecticut,  hay,  and  a  few  other 
substances. 

The  station  began  the  cultivation  of  grasses  in  1886.  Mr. 
J.  B.  Olcott  was  employed  to  collect  roots  of  any  species  or 
variety  of  grass  that  appeared  useful  or  promising.  From 
these  and  from  seeds  procured  from  various  sources  the  sta- 
tion garden  had,  in  1887,  650  sods  and  219  drills  or  plats 
raised  from  seed,  all  distinct  in  immediate  origin  and  mostly 
distinct  in  appearance.  With  the  idea  that  grasses,  like  fruit 
trees,  have  developed  into  many  different  varieties,  Mr.  Ol- 
cott has  made  six  journeys  of  exploration  with  the  sole  pur- 
pose of  collecting  cultivated  grass  plants  and  seeds  whose 


26 


HANDBOOK  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE. 


repute  or  appearance  would  indicate  special  value  for  use  in 
pastures,  meadows,  or  lawns.  He  thus  visited  some  of  the 
best  grazing  districts  of  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  Penn- 
sylvania, various  Southern,  Central,  and  Pacific  States,  Great 
Britain,  Denmark,  Austria,  Switzerland,  France,  Hawaii,  and 
Australia,  and  through  correspondents  received  sods  from 
other  States  and  countries.  It  being  impossible  to  care  for 
these  collections  at  the  station,  where  the  soil  is  not  adapted 
to  grass,  Mr.  Olcott  undertook  to  transplant  the  most  prom- 
ising grasses  to  favorable  ground  on  his  farm,  near  South  Man- 
chester. Since  1890  Mr.  Olcott  has  devoted  himself  untiring- 
ly to  the  care  of  the  South  Manchester  grass  garden  of  about 
two  acres  area,  where  he  has  had  growing  in  pure  cultures 
3,022  distinct  grass  plats,  comprising  600  sods  from  station 
grounds  at  New  Haven,  793  sods  collected  in  the  United 
States,  1,005  from  Europe,  125  from  Australia  and  the  Ha- 
waiian Islands,  250  miscellaneous,  and  250  plats  from  trade 
seeds.  Of  these  1,500  are  now  under  observation  and  about 
the  same  number  have  been  destroyed  as  inferior  or  unfit  for 
culture. 

An  important  investigation  has  been  the  study  of  the 
vegetable  proteids,  on  which  Dr.  Osborne,  with  an  assistant, 
has  been  continuously  engaged  for  eight  years.  Subjects  of 
this  investigation  have  been  mostly  seeds.  These  results, 
though  mostly  technical,  have  already  found  application  in 
the  manufacture  of  flour. 

The  organism  causing  the  scab  of  potatoes  (Oospora 
scabies)  was  isolated  and  described  at  this  station  by  Dr. 
Roland  Thaxter.  A  new  species  of  Phytophthora  has  been 
described,  which  has  caused  extensive  damage  to  Lima  beans. 
The  methods  of  infection  have  been  studied  and  preventive 
measures  suggested.  A  considerable  number  of  new  species 
of  fungi  of  less  economic  importance  have  also  been  de- 
scribed. 

The  nature  and  cause  of  "pole  burn,"  a  very  destructive 
disease  to  which  leaf  tobacco  is  liable  while  curing,  and  its 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  27 

prevention  by  the  use  of  suitable  devices  for  ventilating  by 
means  of  artificial  heat,  have  been  studied.  Studies  on  the 
curing  and  fermentation  of  wrapper-leaf  tobacco  are  now  in 
progress. 

Investigations  are  in  progress  with  the  object  of  determin- 
ing the  cause  of  "  calico,"  a  destructive  disease  of  growing 
tobacco.  It  has  been  ascertained  that  the  disease  is  purely 
physiological,  and  experiments  indicate  that  the  use  of  lime 
upon  soils  where  "  calico  "  is  liable  to  occur  is  attended  with 
good  results. 

The  effect  of  shading  growing  tobacco  plants  has  also 
been  under  trial,  and  some  interesting  and  possibly  important 
results  with  respect  to  the  texture  of  the  leaf  have  been  ob- 
tained. 

Experiments  with  fertilizers  in  the  culture  of  carnations 
have  been  a  prominent  line  of  work  in  the  horticultural  di- 
vision. 

For  several  years  the  disease  known  as  onion  smut,  due  to 
the  fungus  Urocystis  cepulae,  which  seriously  threatens  onion 
growing  in  Connecticut,  has  been  a  subject  of  study.  In 
1889  Dr.  Thaxter  found  that  when  onion  seed  was  sown  in 
soil  that  has  been  impregnated  with  Urocystis  cepulae,  the 
young  plants  were  infected  underground,  and  if  the  fungus 
did  not  become  manifest  in  them  shortly  after  they  appeared 
above  the  soil,  they  were  not  subsequently  affected  by  it.  Dr. 
Thaxter  noted  that  "  the  fact  of  subterranean  infection  is 
further  confirmed  by  the  absence  of  smut  on  sets  and  seed 
onions,  as  well  as  on  transplanted  seedlings."  Dr.  Sturgis 
has  more  recently  shown  that  when  onion  seed  is  sprouted  in 
clean  soil  in  hotbeds,  and  the  seedlings  transplanted  into 
smutty  land,  the  onions  entirely  escape  infection. 

Extensive  studies  have  been  made  on  the  chemical  com- 
position of  maize  as  affected  by  fertilizers  and  by  open  and 
close  planting.  For  six  years  the  availability  of  various 
forms  of  nitrogen  has  been  studied  in  a  large  number  of  pot 
cultures,  with  various  soils,  fertilizers,  and  conditions. 


2g  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

This  station  has  from  the  first  done  much  work  in  im- 
proving laboratory  methods,  operations,  and  apparatus. 
Among  the  pieces  of  apparatus  devised  by  the  station  workers 
which  have  proved  satisfactory  are  a  fat  extractor,  a  hydrogen 
generator,  gas  dessicator,  apparatus  for  drying  in  hydrogen, 
aliquotimeter,  apparatus  for  determining  nitrogen  by  the 
absolute  and  by  the  Kjeldahl  methods,  an  oven  for  drying 
large  samples  (e.  g.,  maize  stalks,  coarse  grasses,  or  other 
forage  plants),  and  apparatus  for  determining  nitric  acid  (mod- 
ification of  Schulze-Tiemann  apparatus). 

DISSEMINATION    OF    INFORMATION. 

The  station  has  issued  133  bulletins  and  24  annual  re- 
ports. The  publication  of  the  annual  report,  not  to  exceed  400 
pages,  is  done  at  State  expense.  It  contains  a  full  account 
of  all  the  work  done  by  the  station  during  the  year  and  in- 
cludes the  matter  published  in  bulletins.  The  edition  pub- 
lished at  public  expense  is  now  limited  by  law  to  7,000  copies. 
The  station  has  frequently  printed  large  numbers  of  additional 
copies  to  meet  the  demand. 

Prof.  S.  W.  Johnson  is  the  author  of  "  Essays  on  Peat, 
Muck,  and  Commercial  Manures,"  "Peat  and  Its  Uses  as 
Fertilizer  and  Fuel,"  "How  Crops  Grow,"  and  "How  Crops 
Feed,"  which  were  written  previous  to  the  establishment  of 
the  station.  The  two  books  last  named  have  been  translated 
into  French,  German,  Swedish,  Russian,  and  Japanese,  and 
have  been  used  as  text -books.  "How  Crops  Grow  "  was  re- 
printed in  England  and  translated  into  Italian,  and  a  revised 
edition  was  issued  in  New  York  in  1891.  Dr.  H.  P.  Armsby, 
while  on  the  staff  of  this  station,  wrote  his  "Manual  of  Cattle 
Feeding."  Numerous  papers  have  from  time  to  time  been 
published  in  scientific  journals  by  members  of  the  station 
staff.  Messrs.  Jenkins  and  Winton  made  a  "  Compilation  of 
Analyses  of  American  Feeding  Stuffs"  that  was  published  as 
a  bulletin  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations. 

The  mailing  lists  are  very  large  and  constantly  under  re- 


HANDBOOK  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE.         2o 

vision.  The  station  correspondence  is  over  3,500  letters  a 
year.  The  members  of  the  station  staff  are  frequently  called 
upon  for  papers  or  addresses  before  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
State  Board  of  Agriculture,  the  Pomological  Society,  and  the 
Dairymen's  Association,  and  at  farmers'  institutes,  as  well  as 
meetings  of  the  county  and  subordinate  granges. 

GENERAL    RESULTS    OF    WORK. 

The  Connecticut  State  Station  has  been  a  leader  in  the 
establishment  of  fertilizer  inspection  in  this  country  and  in 
investigations  regarding  the  use  of  fertilizers  and  their  effect 
on  the  composition  of  the  crop.  The  benefits  of  this  work 
have  been  very  great  and  their  influence  has  been  widely  ex- 
tended. As  a  result  of  the  constant  supervision  of  the  fertil- 
izer market,  fraudulent  fertilizers  have  long  been  practically 
excluded  from  the  State.  Although  food  inspection  has  been 
in  operation  for  only  four  years,  a  decided  decrease  in  the 
extent  of  adulterations  is  already  noticed. 

Many  of  the  co-operative  experiments  undertaken  by  this 
station  have  been  highly  successful,  and  in  this  as  well  as  in 
other  ways,  much  has  been  done  to  educate  practical  cultiva- 
tors of  the  soil  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  application  of 
chemistry  and  other  sciences  to  agriculture. 

In  recent  years  the  investigations  on  tobacco  have  helped 
to  enable  Connecticut  growers  to  improve  the  quality,  and 
hence  maintain  a  relatively  high  price  for  their  wrapper-leaf 
tobacco. 

Through  information  and  instruction  given  in  its  publica- 
tions, and  more  particularly  by  the  personal  supervision  of 
the  station  staff  and  practical  demonstrations  made  in  various 
parts  of  the  State,  the  use  of  insecticides  and  fungicides,  and 
spraying  with  improved  machinery,  were  first  introduced  into 
Connecticut,  to  the  very  great  benefit  of  the  fruit  and 
vegetable  industries. 

The  larger  nurseries  of  the  State  are  annually  inspected 
by  station  officials  for  injurious  insects  or  fungus  pests.  On 


2Q  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

being  notified  of  the  appearance  of  any  such  pest  in  any  part 
of  the  State,  a  member  of  the  staff  at  once  visits  the  place  to 
give  what  help  is  possible. 

Largely  through  this  station,  the  very  crude  and  unfair 
methods  of  payment  for  milk  and  cream  delivered  by  farmers 
to  creameries  in  the  State  have  been  replaced  by  a  rational 
system  based  on  the  Babcock  test. 

DR.  E.   H.  JENKINS,  Director. 

THE  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE,  STORRS, 

CONN, 

In  education  as  connected  with  agriculture  shall  we  begin 
with  the  common  school  and  Webster's  spelling  book,  in 
which  probably  more  persons  have  "learned  their  letters  " 
than  in  any  other  book  in  the  world,  or  with  "  Yale  Univer- 


THE  RUDE  BOY  AND  THE  FARMER. 
Noah   Webster's  Spelling  Book. 

sity,"£ the  crowning  glory  of  the  State  in  all  learning,  and 
from  the  earliest  days  a  "patron  of  husbandry"?  But  space 
forbids  to  take  up  the  thread  of  history  and  show  how  they 
blend^with  agriculture  —  controlling  and  controlled  by  it. 

From  Yale,  Wesleyan,  and  Trinity  streams  of  light  have 
permeated  all  society,  and  agriculture  has  shared  the  benign 
influence.  The  new  movement  for  more  practical  agricultural 


HENRY   BARNARD,  LL.D., 


Conn.  Monthly. 


The  veteran  educator,  widely  known  for  his  work  for  common  schools.     He  died  July  5,  igoo,  in 
the  house  in  which  he  was  born,  89  years  ago. 


~2  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

education,  taking  form  in  agricultural  colleges  and  experiment 
stations,  will  not  detract  from  their  power  and  influence,  but 
as  co-laborers  in  educating  and  elevating  the  world,  are  wel- 
comed in  the  wide  field  where  man  works  with  body,  mind, 
and  soul  —  in  the  great  harvests  of  the  world 

In  answer  to  a  long  felt  want  the  Storrs  Agricultural 
School  at  Mansfield  was  organized  in  1881.  Messrs.  Charles 
and  Augustus  Storrs  gave  a  farm  of  1 70  acres  with  buildings 
and  $6,000  for  equipment,  to  give  scientific  and  practical  edu- 
cation for  farm  life. 

By  act  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1883  this  became  the 
Storrs  Agricultural  College  with  co-education..  The  funds 
derived  from  the  National  Government  were  appropriated  to 
the  college.  In  1899  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Connec- 
ticut Agricultural  College. 

The  annual  report  and  catalogue  gives  in  full,  courses  >of 
study  and  equipment. 

Trustees. —  His  Excellency  the  Governor,  George  P.  McLean,  President 
exofficio  ;  Hon.  W.  E.  Simonds,  Hartford,  Vice-President;  T.  S.  Gold,  West 
Cornwall ;  W.  D.  Holman,  West  Willington,  Treasurer;  S.  O.  Bowen,  East- 
ford  ;  Hon.  E.  S.  Henry,  Rockville  ;  Geo.  A.  Hopson,  Wallingford,  Secretary; 
M.  M.  Frisbie,  Southington  ;  E.  Halladay,  Suffield  ;  E  H.  Jenkins,  Ph.D., 
New  Haven. 

FACULTY    AND    INSTRUCTORS. 

GEORGE  W.  FLINT,  A.M.,  President,  Professor  of  English  and  Mathe- 
matics. 

BENJAMIN  F.  KOONS,  PH.D.,  Professor  of  Zoology,  Geology,  and  Ento- 
mology. 

CHARLES  S.  PHELPS,  B.  S. ,  Professor  of  Agricultural  Science. 

ALFRED  G.  GULLEY,  M.S.,  Professor  of  Horticultural  Science. 

RUFUS  W.  STIMSON,  M.A.,  B.D.,  Professor  of  Rhetoric,  Ethics,  Elocu- 
tion, and  English  Literature. 

NELSON  S.  MAYO,  M.S.,  D.V.M.,  Professor  of  Anatomy,  Physiology,  and 
Veterinary  Science. 

CHARLES  A.  WHEELER,  A.B.,  Professor  of  Mathematics,  History,  and 
Free-Hand  Drawing. 

HENRY  R.  MONTEITH,  A.B.,  Professor  of  English,  History,  Civics,  Po- 
litical Economy,  and  Mathematics. 

CAMPBELL  E.  WATERS,  Pn.D. ,  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Physics. 

HENRY  S.  PATTERSON  (Master  Mechanic),  Professor  of  Mechanics  and 
Mechanical  Drawing. 

MARCIA  G.  GREENOUGH,  A.B.,  Pn.B.,  Professor  of  Domestic  Economy. 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

J  3 

CHARLES  L.  BEACH,  B.S.,  Assistant  Professor  of  Dairying  and  Cattle 
Breeding. 

HENRY  A.  BALLOU,  B.S.,  Assistant  Professor  of  Forestry,  Botany,  and 
Military  Science. 

WILLIAM  A.  STOCKING,  JR.,  B.S.A.,  Farm  Superintendent  and  Instructor 
in  Agriculture. 

ROBERT  DALLAS,  Instructor  in  Poultry  Culture. 

CHARLES  E.  MYERS,  Instructor  in  Farm  Accounts  and  Business  Methods. 

THOMAS  D.  KNOWLES,  Instructor  in  English,  Mathematics,  History,  and 
Physical  Culture. 

CHARLES  E.  MYERS,  Secretary  of  the  Faculty. 

Lucius  P.  CHAMBERLAIN,  College  Steward. 

STORKS  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

[Officers  same  as  Connecticut  Agricultural  College.] 

Station  Staff. —  W.  O.  Atwater,  Director;  C.  S.  Phelps,  Vice- Director  and 
Agriculturist;  F.  E.  Singleton,  Secretary ;  A.  P.  Bryant,  Chemist;  J.  F.  Snell, 
Assistant  Chemist;  H.  L.  Garrigus,  Assistant  Agriculturist. 

The  Station  is  located  at  Mansfield  (P.  O.  Storrs),  as  a  department  of  the 
Connecticut  Agricultural  College.  The  chemical  and  other  more  abstract  re- 
search is  carried  out  at  Wesleyan  University,  Middletown. 

HISTORY. 

At  the  time  the  Act  of  Congress  of  March  2,  1887, 
known  as  the  "  Hatch  Act,"  was  passed,  which  provides  that 
$15,000  be  appropriated  annually  to  each  State  for  agricultu- 
ral experiment  stations,  there  was,  in  Connecticut,  a  station 
which  had  begun  its  work  in  Middletown,  but  had  been  trans- 
ferred to  New  Haven.  The  General  Assembly  of  Connecti- 
cut, of  1887,  provided  that  the  appropriation  to  the  State 
under  the  provision  of  the  above  act  should  be  divided,  one- 
half  being  placed  in  charge  of  the  Board  of  Control  of  the 
State  station  at  New  Haven,  and  the  other  half  in  charge  of 
the  Storrs  Agricultural  School  (now  the  Connecticut  Agri- 
cultural College)  in  the  town  of  Mansfield,  for  the  purpose  of 
establishing  and  maintaining  an  experiment  station  in  con- 
nection with  the  school.  In  March,  1888,  this  fund  became 
available  and  the  Storrs  Station  was  established,  with  Dr.  W. 
O.  Atwater,  professor  of  chemistry  in  Wesleyan  University, 
as  director.  The  Wesleyan  University  again  offered  labora 
tory  facilities  for  chemical  and  other  research  in  Judd  Hall 

3 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  ,H 

of  Science,  where,  in  October,  1875,  had  been  established  the 
first  State  experiment  station  in  this  country,  afterward  re- 
moved to  New  Haven. 

The  farm  and  farm  appliances  of  the  Agricultural  School 
were  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  station  for  experimental 
purposes.  Prof.  C.  S.  Phelps,  of  the  Agricultural  School,  was 
appointed  as  agriculturist  of  the  station  and  vice-director,  and 
was  placed  in  charge  of  cooperative  field  and  dairy  experi- 
ments. Dr.  H.  W.  Conn,  professor  of  biology  in  Wesleyan 
University,  undertook  and  has  since  carried  out,  on  behalf  of 
the  station,  investigations  in  dairy  bacteriology.  Mr.  C.  D. 
Woods,  who  had  previously  been  associated  with  Prof.  At- 
water  at  Wesleyan  University,  was  the  first  chemist  of  the 
station,  and  continued  in  that  position  until  he  was  called, 
in  1896,  to  be  professor  of  agriculture  in  the  University  of 
Maine,  and  director  of  the  Maine  Experiment  Station. 

The  total  annual  income  of  the  station  is  less  than  that  of 
any  other  station  in  the  country,  with  one  exception.  It 
consists  chiefly  of  the  $7,500  appropriated  by  Congress,  and 
$1,800  appropriated  by  the  State.  Occasional  gifts  have 
been  received  from  private  sources  for  carrying  on  special  in- 
vestigations. In  addition  to  these,  the  station  formerly  co- 
operated with  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Labor  in  carrying  out 
dietary  studies,  and  now  cooperates  with  the  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  in  its  investigations  on  the  food  and  nu- 
trition of  man,  and  is  thus  enabled  to  increase  its  efficiency 
and  usefulness. 

The  trustees  of  the  school  to  whom  was  entrusted  the 
•care  of  the  fund  appropriated  by  Congress  have  allowed  the 
director,  Prof.  Atwater,  to  plan  and  carry  out  the  work  of  the 
station  according  to  his  own  judgment,  qualified  as  he  was  as 
a  successful  pioneer  in  work  of  this  kind.  A  portion  of  the 
work  done  has  been  in  continuation  and  development  of  in- 
quiries begun  by  Prof.  Atwater  in  the  chemical  laboratory  at 
Wesleyan  University  before  the  Storrs  station  was  estab- 
lished. Among  these  was  a  study  of  the  fixation  of  free 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  ~- 

nitrogen  by  leguminous  plants.  The  work  of  the  station  in 
this  line  has  done  much  to  increase  our  knowledge  of  this 
important  subject.  Some  of  the  investigations  undertaken 
by  the  station  in  its  early  years  were  continued  only  a  short 
time,  while  others  have  been  continued  year  after  year  ever 
since  they  were  first  undertaken.  The  principal  inquiries 
now  in  progress  at  the  station  have  to  do  with  the  nutrition 
of  plants,  animals,  and  man,  and  with  the  bacteriology  of  the 
dairy. 

We  are  proud  of  what  the  Storrs  Station  with  its  limited 
income  has  accomplished  in  the  thirteen  years  of  its  existence. 
It  has  continually  recognized  a  fact  that  is  coming  more  and 
more  to  be  understood  by  its  friends  in  Connecticut,  that, 
after  all,  the  inquiry  which  on  the  surface  appears  to  be  the 
least  practical,  is  actually  the  most  useful.  The  station, 
therefore,  is  endeavoring  to  contribute  its  share  toward 
the  discovery  of  the  laws  which  goVern  right  practice  in 
agriculture.  Here  will  be  the  most  lasting  benefit  to  accrue 
from  its  work. 

At  the  same  time  the  direct  application  of  the  results  of 
scientific  research  to  farming  is  not  forgotten.  This  is  ac- 
complished, in  a  large  measure,  by  cooperative  experiments 
with  practical  farmers.  Experiments  of  this  nature  relating 
to  the  feeding  of  sheep  and  dairy  cattle,  the  use  of  commer- 
cial fertilizers,  and  of  leguminous  crops  for  green  manuring, 
supplemented  by. investigations  in  similar  directions  carried 
out  at  the  station,  have  done  much  to  improve  the  practice 
of  farmers  in  the  State  along  the  line  in  which  they  have 
been  conducted. 

The  investigations  on  dairy  bacteriology  have  been  an 
important  factor  in  bringing  about  changes  in  the  handling 
and  care  of  milk  and  manufacture  of  dairy  products  that  have 
resulted  in  raising  the  general  grade  of  the  products  and  giv- 
ing them  a  more  uniform  quality. 

The  investigations  on  the  food  and  nutrition  of  man  are 
of  particular  importance  to  the  farmer  as  a  producer  of  food, 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  ~Q 

and  to  the  farmer  and  all  other  classes  of  people  as  consum- 
ers of  food.  These  have  resulted  in  giving  great  aid  to  what 
is  now  a  widespread  movement  for  the  betterment  of  public 
and  private  instruction  regarding  human  physiology  and  hygi- 
ene, and  for  the  application  of  the  results  of  scientific  research 
to  the  improvement  of  the  dietaries  of  different  classes  of 
people.  These  results  are  being  applied  in  the  feeding  of  the 
army  and  navy,  and  in  making  up  dietaries  for  public  and 
private  institutions  where  large  numbers  are  fed.  tThey  are 
especially  needed  and  useful  for  farmer's  families. 

The  particular  feature  of  these  nutrition  investigations 
that  is  of  the  widest  scientific  interest  is  the  inquiry  carried 
on  with  the  Atwater-Rosa  respiration  calorimeter,  an  appara- 
tus devised  and  elaborated  at  Wesleyan  University  in  con- 
nection with  the  researches  carried  out  in  cooperation  with 
the  Storrs  Station  and  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 
Within  this  apparatus  a  man  spends  a  number  of  days  in 
active  exercise  or  in  complete  rest,  while  the  investigation  is 
carried  on  in  such  a  way  as  to  show  the  demands  of  the  body 
for  nutriment  under  different  conditions  of  work  and  rest,  the 
duties  performed  by  the  different  nutrients  of  food  in  supply- 
ing the  needs  of  the  body,  and  the  nutritive  values  of  food 
materials  and  the  amount  and  proportions  best  adapted  to  the 
needs  of  people  of  different  classes,  with  different  occupations 
and  in  different  conditions  of  life. 

The  value  of  this  kind  of  research  is  not  confined  to  the 
nutrition  of  man,  but  is  useful  also  in  the  investigations  of  the 
economic  feeding  of  domestic  animals.  An  apparatus  similar 
to  the  one  in  use  at  the  Storrs  Station,  but  large  enough  for 
experiments  with  oxen,  is  being  built  at  the  Experiment 
Station  at  the  State  College  in  Pennsylvania.  In  Europe, 
appropriations  have  also  been  made  for  similar  apparatus  for 
domestic  animals  at  the  Institutes  of  Animal  Physiology  at 
Bonn  and  at  Budapest. 

Our  limited  space  will  not  allow  a  history  of  this  move- 
ment, in  which  the  Storrs  Station  has  taken  such  an  active 


HANDBOOK  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE.          .j 

part,  and  which  besides  its  scientific  interest  has  also  an  im- 
mense practical  value.  Fuller  details  will  be  found  in  the 
Reports  and  Bulletins  of  the  Station,  and  of  the  U.  S.  De- 
partment of  Agriculture,  with  which  it  has  cooperated. 

Connecticut  may  well  rejoice  that  she  has  been  the 
pioneer  in  this  country  in  the  establishment  of  experiment 
stations.  Perhaps  no  other  expenditure  of  public  money  can 
compare  with  this  in  permanent  and  increasing  material 
benefit.  Connecticut  is  fortunate  in  having  two  first-class 
stations  managed  by  men  bound  together  not  only  by  ties  of 
friendship  and  a  com  mon  interest,  but  also  by  legal  provision 
in  the  organization  of  both  stations,  and  with  no  rivalry  except 
for  the  advancement  of  the  common  good. 


THE  CATTLE   INDUSTRY  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

Connecticut  is  noted  for  having  developed  some  of  the 
choicest  cattle  for  beef,  work,  and  dairy  purposes  of  any  of  the 
States.  According  to  the  United  States  census  of  1890 
Connecticut  has  a  larger  percentage  of  pure  bred  cattle  than 
any  other  State.  Such  breeds  as  the  Devons  and  Shorthorns 


COPPER  QUEEN,  58,659    (JERSEY). 
Owned  by  Agricultural  College.    Record  for  one  year  8,318  Ibs.  milk,  519  Ibs.  butter. 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  .- 

were  prominent  more  than  60  years  ago,  and  to-day  choice 
herds  of  Jerseys,  Guernseys,  Ayrshires,  and  Holsteins  are 
quite  common.  Town  "strings"  of  cattle,  many  specimens 
of  which  were  pure  bred  animals,  were  long  a  characteristic 
feature  of  all  fairs.  The  rearing  of  cattle  for  work  purposes 
was  a  profitable  industry  in  the  past  century,  and  the  fatten- 
ing of  beef  was  a  leading  branch  of  agriculture  before  the 
competition  of  the  West  crowded  out  the  business.  But  the 
breed  of  cattle  which  has  doubtless  given  Connecticut  her 
greatest  fame,  is  the  Jersey.  Many  of  the  best  herds  in  the 


ALBERT,  44     (JERSEY). 
Owned  in  1867  by  Silas  W.  Robbins,  Wethersfield. 

country  trace  back  to  animals  of  our  earliest  importations. 
The  name  which  stands  foremost  among  the  earlier  importers 
of  Jersey  cattle  is  that  of  John  A.  Taintor,  of  Hartford,  who 
began  his  importations  in  1851.  During  the  next  fifteen 
years  such  men  as  Colt,  Beach,  and  Robbins  may  be  named 
in  connection  with  the  importation  of  famous  Jerseys. 
Greater  care  was  doubtless  exercised  in  the  selection  of  this 
stock  than  in  the  choice  of  later  imports  after  the  "boom  "  in 
the  breed  began.  Fancy  points  were  wisely  overlooked  in 
the  earlier  selections,  but  merit  in  point  of  production  was 
always  demanded. 

To-day  Connecticut  is  preeminently  a  dairy  state,  ranking 


44  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

third  among  the  states  in  the  number  of  cows  per  square 
mile,  and  producing  more  than  10,000,000  pounds  of  butter 
per  year.  The  natural  conditions  which  tend  to  place  Con- 
necticut in  the  foreground  as  a  dairy  state  are  her  good 
grazing  lands,  a  soil  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  grasses  and 
corn,  and  a  generous  supply  of  pure  water.  These  natural 
advantages,  together  with  the  adoption  of  modern  dairy  and 
creamery  appliances,  are  causing  Connecticut  dairy  products 
to  rank  among  the  highest  in  the  markets  of  the  East. 

PROF.  C.  S.  PHELPS, 

Connecticut  Agricultural  College. 


»I 


i 


PANSY  6th,  38     (JERSEY). 
Was  owned  in  1867  by  Silas  W.  Robbins,  Wethersfield. 


Pansy  6th  (38)  was  out  of  imported  Pansy  (8)  and  Albert 
(44)  ;  was  sired  by  Imported  Jerry  (15),  and  out  of  Frankie 
(17),  both  first  prize  animals  on  Island  of  Jersey  in  1864. 
Pansy  (8)  was  imported  by  John  T.  Norton  in  1855,  and  I 
bought  her  and  all  her  calves  but  one,  buying  his  whole  herd 
to  get  Pansy  6th.  Without  any  extra  feed  she  gave  in  flush 
twenty-four  quarts  of  milk  per  day.  Jerry  and  Frankie  were 
imported  by  W.  B.  Dinsmore  in  1865.  I  am  sure  no  better 
animals  ever  left  the  Island  of  Jersey  than  Pansy  (8)  and 
Frankie.  The  pictures  are  very  fine  likenesses. 

Yours  truly,  S.  W.  ROBBINS. 


HANDBOOK  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE.          .  r 
BREEDS  OF  CATTLE. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  last  century  our  cattle  represented 
all  colors,  and  claimed  no  particular  breed ;  red,  brindle,  yel- 
low, and  black  predominating,  though  "  white  face"  and  "line 
back  "  were  in  every  herd.  Every  man  preferred  the  color 
in  which  chance  had  marked  his  best  cow.  They  were 
the  result  of  early  importations  from  England,  before  im- 
proved breeds  were  established,  mingled  with  Dutch  stock 
from  York  State.  There  were  many  good  milkers,  consider- 
ing the  conditions.  They  were  expected  to  give  milk  in 
summer,  and  on  the  lush  pasturage  to  lay  in  a  store  of  fat 
for  the  cold  and  shortage  of  winter. 

Some  sections  became  locally  famous  for  special  varieties. 
The  red  cattle  of  Connecticut  were  early  noted  as  working 
oxen.  Devons  led  as  the  first  thoroughbreds  introduced,  and 
the  names  of  Hurlburt,  Blakesley,  Lindsley,  Hyde,  and  Bill 
recall  the  beautiful,  sprightly  Devons  ;  Sumner  and  Hitch- 
cock, the  stately  Shorthorns  ;  Gaylord,  the  white-faced  Here- 
ford ;  Norton,  Taintor,  and  Beach,  the  mild-eyed  Guernsey ; 
Pond  and  Wells,  the  spotted  Ayrshires  —  motherly  cows  ;  Fish, 
the  brown  Swiss,  majestic  cows  of  a  queenly  type;  while  the 
breeders  of  Jerseys  are  too  numerous  even  to  select  from  - 
the  cow  for  the  pet  of  the  family,  and  the  pride  of  the  butter 
dairy,  but  still  inheriting  as  much  of  the  native  wildness 
as  any  other  breeds,  and  last,  but  not  least,  has  also  too 
many  patrons  to  list,  the  Holstein  —  the  largest  milk  pro- 
ducer of  all,  handsomely  marked  with  black  and  white,  and 
of  royal  aspect,  which,  once  seen,  no  one  will  dispute  her 
claim  as  a  milker. 

These  are  the  foundation  stock  from  which  our  cattle 
have  been  bred,  each  having  qualities  that  give  them  pre- 
eminence for  particular  uses  and  conditions. 

RIDGESIDE    FARM    AYRSHIRES. 

The  Ayrshire  herd  of  S.  M.  Wells  of  Wethersfield,  Conn., 
was  established  in  1864-65  by  selections  from  the  herds  of 


46 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 


H.  H.  Peters  and  William  Birnie  of  Massachusetts,  and  Wal- 
cott  &  Campbell  of  New  York. 

In  order  to  secure  the  best,  from  $400  to  $750  each  was 
paid  for  foundation  stock. 

Great  care  has  been  taken  in  selecting  sires  from  cows 
representing  the  highest  type  of  the  breed.  Of  late  years 


AYRSHIRE    BULL. 
Owned  by  S.  M.  Wells,  Ridgeside  Farm,  Wethersfield,  Conn. 

bulls  for  this  purpose  have  been  secured  from  leading  herds 
in  Canada. 

The  increase  of  this  herd  has  been  distributed  from  Maine 
to  Mexico  and  nearly  all  the  intermediate  States,  also  con- 
signments have  been  made  to  customers  in  Cuba  and  Japan, 
such  notable  cows  as  Mysie  2d,  with  a  record  of  over  twelve 
thousand  pounds  of  milk  per  year  for  three  successive  years, 
and  twenty-one  pounds  of  butter  in  one  week.  Dolly  3d 


HANDBOOK  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE.          A~ 

47 

gave"tei\ thousand  pounds  a  year  for  three  successive  years. 
Both  bred  in  this  herd. 

The  past  season  mature  cows  have  given  from  seven 
thousand  to  eleven  thousand  five  hundred  pounds  of  milk  ; 
two-year-old  heifers,  with  first  calf,  fifty-three  hundred  to 
seventy-four  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds  each. 

This  herd  supplies  the  celebrated  "Hygeia  Milk,"  which 
sells  in  Hartford  and  vicinity  for  ten  cents  per  quart. 

The  illustration  shows  the  present  head  of  the  Ridgeside 
herd,  Glencairn  of  Ridgeside,  a  grand  individual  of  the 
choicest  breeding.  He  is  sired  by  the  noted  Glencairn  3d, 
imported  and  out  of  White  Floss,  she  having  won  first  prize 
in  her  class  at  the  World's  Fair,  Chicago,  and  has  received 
first  honors  at  many  of  the  leading  exhibitions  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada. 

The  young  females  in  the  herd  plainly  indicate  that  the 
present  line  of  breeding  will  maintain  the  high  character  of 
this  distinguished  herd  of  Ayrshires. 

BKOWX    SWISS    CATTLK. 

Brown  Swiss  Ca  tile.--  The  size,  large  and  substantial 
form,  firm  and  elegantly  proportioned,  color  shades  from  dark 
to  light  brown,  light  shade  of  hair  between  the  horns,  on  in- 
side of  ears,  and  a  narrow  line  along  the  back.  Horns  rather 
short,  waxy  and  black  tips.  Nose  black,  with  mealy  colored 
band  around  mouth.  Black  switch,  hoofs,  and  tongue, 
straight  hind  legs,  wide  thighs,  heavy  quarters. 

These  cattle,  first  imported  by  Henry  M.  Clark,  some 
years  since,  and  a  number  of  small  bunches  since  by  several 
parties.  They  cross  well  with  other  breeds,  producing  a  very 
desirable  grade  of  cattle,  and  as  a  rule  taking  strongly  to  the 
Swiss.  Brown  Swiss,  hardy,  active,  gentle,  docile,  and  kind. 
Large  milkers,  yielding  rich  milk,  suitable  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  butter  and  cheese.  Making  large  veal  calves  and 
meat  of  best  quality,  and  producing  the  best  of  working  oxen. 
The  highest  official  world's  record  in  a  dairy  test  for  a  cow, 


BROWN  SWISS  BULL. 


MUOTTA    (BROWN  Swiss). 
Owned  by  N.  S.  Fish,  Groton,  Conn. 


HANDBOOK  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE.          ,„ 

49 

away  from  home,  is  that  of  brown  Swiss  cow  Brienze,  No. 
1 68,  at  Chicago,  November,  1891,  taken  by  officials  of  Illinois 
University.  The  record  as  follows  :  Total  for  three  days, 
245  pounds  milk  ;  butter  fat,  9.32  ;  butter,  80  per  cent,  fat ; 
pounds,  11.66.  Average,  81.7  milk;  3.11  butter  fat ;  butter, 
3.89;  best  day,  3.25  pounds  butter  fat,  persistent  milkers. 

N.  S.  FISH,  Groton, 
Sec.  and  Treas.  Swiss  Cattle  Breeders'  Ass'n. 

WEIRVALOI  FARM,  Woodstock,  Windham  Co. 
We  have  but  little  pure-bred  stock  of  any  kind  in  the 
county, —  more  on  my  farm,  I  judge,  than  any  other  three,  as 
I  have  twenty-seven  head  of  registered  Jersey  cattle.  "  Head- 
light Koffee  "  at  the  head  of  the  herd,  no  bull  of  better  pedi- 
gree in  New  England;  forty-four  head  of  pure  Webb  and 
Walsingham  South  Down  sheep ;  two  thoroughbred  mares  ; 
four  mares  standard-bred  on  dam's  side  and  thoroughbred  on 
the  sire's,  and  a  pure-bred  Cleveland  bay  stallion  of  imported 
stock,  Vermont  raising.  Very  truly  yours, 

GEO.  AUSTIN  BOWEN. 

GUERNSEYS, 

The  great  and  deserved  popularity  of  Guernseys,  won  by 
their  achievements  in  numerous  dairies,  show  rings,  and  com- 
petitive tests  with  other  breeds,  is  now  so  well  established 
that  this  breed  requires  no  further  introduction  to  breeders 
and  dairymen.  The  prominence  they  have  attained  arouses 
interest  in  the  history  of  the  first  importation  of  Guernseys 
into  Connecticut  ;  for,  although  they  had  been  previously  in- 
troduced and  bred  in  Pennsylvania,  Massachusetts,  and  New 
Jersey,  the  rapid  growth  and  dissemination  of  the  breed  dates 
from  this  importation. 

The  Farmington  creamery  of  Farmington,  Conn.,  was 
founded  in  1870.  Shortly  after  it  began  active  operations, 
Mr.  Edward  Norton  endeavored  to  arouse  the  patrons  of  this 
creamery  to  improve  their  stock.  This  led  to  the  formation 
of  a  local  club  at  Farmington.  Numerous  meetings  were  held 


rO  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

to  discuss  the  improvement  of  stock  and  allied  interests  af- 
fecting the  success  of  the  creamery.  Mr.  Norton  advocated 
the  introduction  of  Guernsey  stock. 

Mr.  John  T.  Norton,  the  father  of  Edward  Norton,  had 
long  been  interested  in  Jersey  and  Alderney  cattle,  having 
made  several  importations  of  these  animals.  Through  the 
agency  of  Mr.  John  A.  Taintor  one  of  these  importations  in- 
cluded a  cow  possessing  marked  Guernsey  characteristics, 
which  tradition  asserts  to  have  been  the  best  cow  ever  owned 
by  John  T.  Norton.  The  presence  of  such  a  cow  in  these 
importations  is  not  surprising.  In  fact,  a  strong  suspicion 
prevailed  with  Mr.  Norton  and  his  friends  that  the  early  im- 
portations of  Jerseys,  which  had  been  introduced  as  Alder- 
neys,  contained  mixtures  of  Jersey  and  Guernsey  blood. 
Some  corroboration  of  this  suspicion  is  suggested  by  many 
of  the  color  descriptions  of  the  early  imported  Jerseys,  as  re- 
corded in  Vol.  I  of  the  register  of  the  A.  J.  C.  C.  It  has 
even  been  stated  that  eleven  of  the  twelve  Alderneys  (Jer- 
seys) first  imported  by  Mr.  Taintor  had  white  switches.  Mr. 
Norton  also  felt  that  the  larger  frames  and  bodies  of  the 
Guernseys  would  commend  them  more  to  farmers  than  Jer- 
seys, against  which  breed  a  great  prejudice  existed  because 
of  their  size.  At  that  time,  when  beef  was  an  item  of  much 
more  importance  than  now,  this  argument  was  correspond- 
ingly more  impressive.  Moreover,  the  richness  in  color  and 
yield  of  milk  and  milk  temperament  were  factors  of  no  small 
importance.  The  causes  thus  stated,  in  connection  with  the 
fact  that  Mr.  Norton  had  previously  visited  the  Island  of 
Guernsey,  indicate,  to  a  certain  extent,  why  he  espoused 
Guernseys.  Mr.  Norton's  counsel  finally  prevailed,  and  cer- 
tain members  of  the  club  subscribed  a  fund  for  the  purchase 
of  some  animals. 

Mr.  Mason  C.  Weld  was  sent  to  the  island  to  secure  the 
animals.  Fourteen  females  and  one  male  were  selected  by 
him,  which  arrived  in  Farmington  April  18,  1876.  Upon 
their  arrival  the  animals  were  led  through  the  main  street  of 


*2         HANDBOOK  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE. 

the  town  and  created  great  interest  and  much  enthusiasm. 
They  were  duly  appraised  and  the  choice  of  selection  was 
auctioned  to  those  who  had  subscribed  to  the  purchase  pool. 
That  the  competition  was  keen  can  be  inferred  from  the  fact 
that  eighty  dollars  premium  was  paid  for  the  first  choice. 
The  premiums  obtained  from  the  auction  of  choice  was 
divided  and  distributed  pro  rata  to  the  subscribers  of  the 
purchase  fund.  The  animals  were  sold  to  the  following  peo- 
ple :  Edward  Norton,  Augustus  Ward,  William  M.  Wads- 
worth,  J.  H.  Andrews,  Charles  J.  Thompson,  Charles  W. 
Lewis,  E.  W.  Tillotson,  George  N.  Whiting,  Chauncy  Dem- 
ing,  H.  W.  Barbour,  and  Miss  Sarah  Porter,  all  of  Farming- 
ton,  and  Charles  M.  Beach  of  Hartford. 

The  interest  and  activity  in  Guernsey  breeding  received  a 
tremendous  impetus  from  this  importation,  which  largely  in- 
fluenced the  organization  of  the  A.  G.  C.  C.,  which  occurred 
February  7,  1877.  The  direct  effect  of  this  importation  upon 
the  organization  of  this  club  is  perhaps  best  measured  by  the 
fact  that  in  1878  the  club  had  a  membership  of  thirty-seven, 
twelve  of  whom  were  residents  of  Connecticut;  no  other 
State  had  such  a  large  representation. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  history  of  the  first  importation  of 
Guernseys  into  Connecticut.  No  one  can  measure  the  vast 
benefits  which  have  accrued  to  the  dairy  and  breeding  inter- 
ests of  our  country  from  this  well-conceived  and  successfully- 
conducted  enterprise.  It  is  rational  to  assume  that  such  re- 
sults were  bound  to  come  some  time  or  other,  but  this  does 
not  detract  in  the  least  from  the  honor  due  those  interested 
in  this  work.  Led  by  Edward  Norton,  they  conceived  the 
thought,  carefully  weighed  the  chances,  and  having  developed 
the  courage  of  their  convictions,  resolutely  proceeded  to  the 
execution  of  their  plans.  Let  us  ever  honor  and  esteem  these 
worthy  patrons  of  agriculture. 

F.  H.  STADTMUELLER. 
Elmwood,  Conn.,  May  24,  IQOI. 


54 


HANDBOOK  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE. 


DAIRY  INTERESTS  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

J.  B.  Noble,  Commissioner ;  R.  O.  Eaton,  Deputy  Commissioner. 

Dairying  in  Connecticut  at  the  present  time  is  one  of  the 
most  important  branches  of  our  agricultural  interests.  In 
the  western  part  of  the  State  large  herds  of  cows  are  kept 
and  the  milk  shipped  to  New  York  city.  In  the  eastern  part 
many  of  the  farmers  are  sending  milk  to  Providence  and  Bos- 
ton. While  the  milk  trade  is  an  important  part  of  our  dairy- 
ing, the  butter  business  is,  on  many  accounts,  of  still  more 
importance.  There  are  fifty-six  creameries  in  the  State 
doing  a  good  business.  Some  of  them  are  quite  large.  They 
are  making  a  first-class  grade  of  butter,  which  finds  a  good 
market  at  quite  a  remunerative  price.  Quite  a  large  amount 
of  butter  is  still  made  in  private  dairies  and  much  of  it  is  of 
extra  good  quality.  In  the  last  fifty  years  the  number  of 
cows  in  Connecticut  has  increased  from  eighty-five  thousand 
four  hundred  and  sixty-one  to  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand,  with  an  average  value,  at  the  present  time,  of 
$34.80  each.  The  increase  in  numbers  does  not  represent 
nearly  all  the  increase  in  the  business,  for  better  cows  are 
now  kept  and  more  care  and  thought  are  given  to  breeding 
and  feeding.  The  average  milk  production  per  cow  has  in- 
creased in  the  past  forty  years  from  two  hundred  and  seventy 
gallons  to  four  hundred  and  thirty  gallons.  The  amount  of 
butter  made  in  the  State  has  increased  in  the  past  fifty  years 
from  6,498, 119  pounds  to  11,000,000  pounds.  Dairymen  in 
Connecticut  are  thoroughly  alive  to  their  business,  intelligent 
and  progressive  men,  and  through  their  efforts  much  has  been 
accomplished  in  bringing  their  business  to  a  high  and  satis- 
factory standing. 

CONNECTICUT    DAIRYMEN'S    ASSOCIATION. 

This  association  was  incorporated  in  1889  for  the  purpose 
of  helping  the  dairy  and  all  of  its  related  interests.  The  an- 
nual meeting  is  held  the  third  week  in  January,  at  Hartford, 
where  prominent  dairymen  from  different  parts  of  the  coun- 
try speak  upon  live  questions  connected  with  their  business. 


r5  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

Officers  of  the  association  :  Pres.,  H.  F.  Potter,  Montowese  ; 
vice-pres.,  F.  H.  Stadtmueller,  Elmwood ;  sec'y,  George 
E.  Manchester,  East  Winsted ;  treas.,  B.  C.  Patterson, 
Torrington. 

The  Connecticut  Creamery  Association  has  also  been  a 
prominent  help  to  the  dairy  interests  of  the  State.  Officers  : 
Pres.,  John  Thompson,  Ellington;  vice-pres.,  Hiram  Carter, 
Plainville  ;  sec'y  and  treas.,  Frank  Avery,  Wapping. 

The  following  figures  show  the  business  of  a  few  of  the 
large  creameries  of  the  State.  Lebanon  creamery  received 
1,299,796  pounds  of  cream  the  past  year  and  paid  to  its 
patrons  $56,1 16.65  5  Ellington,  775,621  pounds  of  cream,  paid 
to  its  patrons  $34,328.  Wapping  made,  the  last  year,  193,- 
778  pounds  of  butter,  paid  to  its  patrons  $42,994.99.  Suf- 
field,  626,128  pounds  of  cream  received,  paid  to  its  patrons 
$27,518.64.  Granby  creamery  paid  to  its  patrons  last  year 
$39,000.  Canton  paid  to  its  patrons  $23,799.80. 

THE  JERSEY  CATTLE  BREEDERS'  ASSOCIATION  has  been 
an  important  factor  in  improving  the  dairy  herds  of  Connect- 
icut. Its  membership  is  taken  from  prominent  importers 
and  breeders  of  fine  stock,  whose  individual  records  have 
been  high  as  milk  and  butter  producers.  S.  C.  Colt,  presi- 
dent, Elmwood ;  R.  A.  Potter,  secretary,  Bristol ;  B.  W.  Col- 
lins, treasurer,  Meriden. 

DAIRYING    IN    CONNECTICUT. 

Vine  Hill  Farm  Co.  —  C.  M.  Beach,  Proprietor ;  C.  E.  Beach  and  F.  H. 
Stadtmueller,  Managers^  Elmwood,  Conn. 

Dairying,  although  one  of  the  oldest  of  all  time-honored 
agricultural  institutions  of  the  State,  has  nevertheless  expe- 
rienced as  great,  if  not  greater,  changes  and  improvements 
within  the  past  two  decades  than  any  other  agricultural  in- 
dustry. This  progress  was  due  to  numerous  factors,  most  of 
which,  however,  were  merely  incidental.  Practically  all  the 
advance  made  was  due  to  the  following  causes  : 

First.     Improvement  of  stock. 

Second.     Co-operative  dairying. 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  ,-Q 

Third.  Increase  of  population,  which  caused  a  transition 
from  cheese  and  butter  production  to  the  sale  of  milk  as  a 
dietary. 

The  introduction  of  specific  dairy  animals  was  practically 
commenced  in  1850  by  the  importation  of  Jerseys  by  Mr. 
John  A.  Taintor  of  Hartford.  Mr.  Taintor's  efforts  were 
soon  followed  by  others,  and  in  turn  these  importations  were 
followed  by  the  introduction  of  other  notable  dairy  breeds,  to 
wit,  Holsteins,  Ayrshires,  and  Guernseys.  The  superiority 
of  these  dairy  animals  so  commended  itself  that  within  a  few 
years  the  whole  State  became  permeated  with  the  blood  of 
their  descendants,  and  Connecticut  soon  became  a  veritable 
Mecca  of  breeding  stock.  This  prestige  has  ever  since  been 
maintained,  and  much  of  the  foundation  stock  of  full-blooded 
herds  of  other  States  has  been  derived  from  the  breeders  of 
our  State. 

Associated  or  co-operative  dairying  was  first  attempted  by 
Mr.  Lewis  M.  Norton  at  Goshen,  Conn.,  in  about  1810.  Sub- 
sequent events  justified  Mr.  Norton's  ideas,  but  co-operative 
dairying  was  not  successfully  established  until  the  last  third 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  Following  then,  as  it  did,  the  in- 
troduction of  specific  dairy  animals,  the  conditions  for  suc- 
cessful co-operative  dairying  were  more  propitious.  The 
quality  of  the  butter  was  very  much  improved,  as  evidenced 
by  the  increased  sale  value  of  the  product  of  all  co-operative 
creameries. 

The  success  of  the  pioneer  associations  gave  a  strong 
impetus  to  co-operative  butter  production,  and  creameries 
were  rapidly  erected,  equipped,  and  put  in  active  operation 
throughout  the  State.  The  zenith  of  this  movement  was 
attained  at  about  1890,  since  when,  owing  to  various  causes, 
the  most  prominent  of  which  will  be  discussed  later,  co-oper- 
ative butter  production  has  slightly  declined.  Numerous  co- 
operative creameries  are  successfully  operated  to-day,  while 
the  competition  resulting  from  them  has  stimulated  private 
dairies  to  greater  and  better  efforts.  Despite  this  progress 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT   AGRICULTURE.  6t 

there  is  still  ample  opportunity  within  our  borders  for  the 
successful  operation  of  dairies  devoted  to  the  production  of 
high-grade  butter. 

In  the  meantime  the  purely  industrial  and  commercial 
population  had  rapidly  increased,  and  milk  contractors  of 
New  York,  Boston,  and  Providence  sought  some  of  their  milk 
supply  in  this  State.  As  the  demand  for  milk  increased,  the 
interest  in  butter  production  subsided.  In  the  midst  of  this 
transition  the  well-known  record  of  Connecticut  men  to  be  in 
advance  is  being  well  sustained.  The  deductions  of  bacteri- 
ologists are  being  introduced  as  rapidly  as  the  consumers  of 
milk  will  approve  and  support,  and  the  output  of  hygienic  and 
sanitary  milk  is  rapidly  becoming  established. 

In  reference  to  the  actual  control  of  the  hygienic  quality 
of  milk,  credit  must  be  accorded  to  a  Connecticut  dairy  as 
occupying  the  most  advanced  position.  The  proprietor  of 
one  of  our  dairies  conceived  the  benefits  derivable  from  the 
daily  bacteriological  examination  of  milk  produced  to  estab- 
lish the  care  and  efficiency  of  the  labor  bestowed  in  its  pro- 
duction. For  this  purpose  a  bacteriological  laboratory  was 
equipped  at  the  farm  and  has  now  been  operated  nearly  two 
years  for  the  daily  examination  of  milk. 

Our  knowledge  has  been  deficient  regarding  the  relation 
of  milk  to  the  public  health,  but  at  the  dawn  of  the  twentieth 
century  we  are  emerging  from  some  of  the  fallacious  tradi- 
tions which  have  attended  milk  production,  and  are  just  en- 
tering an  era  of  greater  possibilities  and  activities  than  was 
ever  accorded  our  progenitors. 


£2  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

OFFICIAL  DIRECTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  PATRONS  OF 
HUSBANDRY,  FORIJ90J. 

OFFICERS  OF  CONNECTICUT  STATE  GRANGE. 

Master,  B.  C.  PATTERSON,  Torrington. 

Overseer,  IVERSON  C.  FANTON,  Westport. 

Lecturer,  FRANK  S.  HOPSON,  Station  3,  Bridgeport. 

Steward,  J.  B.  BLIVEN,  North  Franklin. 

Asst.  Steward,  ROBERT  W.  ANDREWS,  New  Britain. 

Chaplain,  REV.  C.  H.  SMITH,  Plymouth. 

Treasurer,  NORMAN  S.  PLATT,  New  Haven. 

Secretary,  HENRY  E.  LOOMIS,  Glastonbury. 

Gate-Keeper,  E.  H.  WRIGHT,  Clinton. 

Ceres,  Miss  GERTRUDE  U.  BRADLEY,  Waterbury. 

Pomona,  MRS.  SABRA  M.  KELSEY,  Higganum. 

Flora,  MRS.  MAUDE  K.  WHEELER,  Storrs. 

Lady  Steward,  MRS.  ALICE  L.  POTTER,  North  Woodstock. 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 

ORSON  S.  WOOD,  Ellington,  Term  Expires,  1902 

J.  H.  HALE,  South  Glastonbury,  "           "          1903 

H.  F.  POTTER,  New  Haven,  1904 

B.  C.  PATTERSON,  ex  officio,  "           "          1902 

H.  E.  LOOMIS,  ex  officio,  "           "          1902 

FINANCE  COMMITTEE. 

H.  C.  DUNHAM,  Middletown.  R.  R.  WOLCOTT,  Wethersfield. 

GEORGE  A.  HOPSON,  East  Wallingford. 

THE  EVOLUTION  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE  during 
the  first  half  of  the  last  century  was  at  a  limping  gait,  but 
with  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  it  progressed  with  rapid 
strides.  Necessity,  the  most  potential  of  all  the  influences 
that  impel  men  and  nations  forward  in  the  march  from  the 
old  to  the  new,  gave  to  agriculture  an  impetus  whose  force 
is  still  unspent. 

Invention  saw  the  fields  waiting  to  be  sown,  and  the  har- 
vests ungathered,  and  gave  us  substitutes  for  able-bodied  men 
in  the  form  of  farm  machinery.  Science,  too,  lent  her  aid, 
and  by  her  development  of  new  and  more  simple  methods  of 
culture,  the  agriculture  of  to-day  has  transferred  its  allegi- 
ance from  muscle  to  brain. 

In  such  a  tumult  of  jchange,  such  a  casting  off  of  theo- 
ries and  methods,  such  an  upheaval  of  long-laid  foundations, 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  £3 

there  is  need  of  conservatism  to  steady  the  movement,  and, 
fortunately,  this  element  is  not  wanting. 

Agricultural  education,  now  so  generally  diffused,  is  help- 
ing greatly  to  lift  the  burdens  of  former  years,  and  to  make 
the  farm  home  attractive.  New  industries  have  crowded  out 
the  old,  and  our  young  men  are  beginning  to  realize  the  pos- 
sibilities of  agriculture  in  Connecticut  under  the  new  regime. 
The  allurements  of  the  city  are  losing  their  fascination,  and 
the  professions  are  crowded  to  nearly  their  limit.  Such  a 
combination  of  influences  are  gradually  working  out  the  prob- 
lems of  production  and  profit,  and  the  new  century  is  full  of 
promise  for  the  Connecticut  farmer. 

The  methods  of  the  past  demanding  the  severest  and  most 
constant  toil  are  left  behind,  but  they  dictated  and  fostered 
a  social,  civil,  and  religious  sturdiness  of  character  that  has 
made  Connecticut  the  synonym  of  integrity,  intelligence,  and 
progress,  and  is  to-day  her  guarantee  of  future  prosperity. 
The  depression  of  agriculture  during  the  last  few  decades  has 
dotted  some  sections  of  Connecticut  with  abandoned  farms, 
greatly  increased  our  forest  area,  and  is  chiefly  responsible 
for  the  exodus  of  young  men  and  young  women  from  the 
home  farm  to  some  land  of  promise.  The  work  of  subjuga- 
tion must  be  renewed.  These  old  hills  must  be  brought  back 
to  cultivation  and  made  again  to  teem  with  flocks  and  herds. 
This  is  our  necessity,  and  therefore  it  is  not  prophecy.  The 
farmer  of  the  future,  equipped  with  the  appliances  evolved  by 
necessity,  aided  by  invention,  approved  by  science,  and  with 
the  stimulus  of  an  intelligent  and  steady  purpose  and  a  love 
for  his  profession,  will  surely  be  found  fully  equal  to  his  task. 

PROF.  L.  P.  CHAMBERLAIN, 

Connecticut  Agricultural  College. 

CONNECTICUT    POMOLOGICAL    SOCIETY. 

N.  S.  Platt,  President,  New  Haven  ;  H.  C.  C.  Miles,  Secretary,  Milford  ; 
Roswell  A.  Moore,  Treasurer,  Kensington. 

CONNECTICUT    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

A.  C.  Sternberg,  President,  West  Hartford;  L.  H.  Mead,  Secretary,  Ke- 
ney  Park  Nursery,  Hartford  ;  W.  W.  Hunt,  Treasurer,  Hartford. 


g^  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

FRUIT  GROWING  IN  CONNECTICUT. 

The  tender  stone-fruits  have  been  grown  more  or  less  in 
the  State  for  a  long  time,  but  only  _in  a  small  way.  About  1 2 
years  ago  a  few  growers  began  to  give  special  attention  to 
peaches  for  market.  They  were  successful.  They  organized 
a  society  for  mutual  benefit.  This  soon  grew  into  the  pres- 
ent very  active  and  prominent  State  Pomological  Society. 
This  association  has  disseminated  much  valuable  information. 
The  result  has  been  to  develop  the  peach  business  into  a  very 
important  industry.  The  Japan  plum  has  also  at  the  same 
time  become  one  of  the  very  important  fruit  crops  of  the  state. 
These  two  fruits  to-day  occupy  thousands  of  acres  which,  1 5 
years  ago,  were  used  for  pasture  or  ordinary  farm  crops. 
Planting  of  both  classes  is  still  extensively  done  each  year, 
the  growers  supplying  the  home  market  and  reaching  out  for 
those  still  larger  which  are  within  easy  shipping  distance. 

With  all  small  fruits  the  State  is  nearly  fully  supplied 
by  growers  living  in  each  section  where  the  fruit  is  marketed. 

Apples  have  always  been  largely  grown,  but  with  the  gen- 
eral decay  in  other  agricultural  branches  the  apple  orchard 
was  also  neglected,  and  as  a  natural  result  returned  but  little 
profit.  The  nearness  to  large  markets  and  the  profits  in  other 
fruits  has  again  brought  apple  growing  into  notice.  Old 
orchards  are  being  renovated  and  cultivated,  or  are  removed 
and  new  ones  planted  and  attended  according  to  the  latest 
ideas  of  successful  growers.  Much  land  otherwise  of  little 
value  is  being  devoted  to  this  crop.  Much  more  yet  can  be 
profitably  employed  in  the  same  way.  To  aid  in  developing 
apple  growing,  the  State  Agricultural  College  has  planted 
quite  an  extensive  orchard  of  trial  varieties,  which  is  just 
coming  into  bearing.  Last  year  it  also  planted  a  ten-acre  or- 
chard for  commercial  purposes,  with  the  idea  of  determining 
the  cost  and  best  methods  of  treatment.  Several  plans  of 
inter-planting  and  filling  are  being  tried,  as  well  as  the  meth- 
ods of  cultivation  now  deemed  to  be  the  best.  It  will  be  a 
valuable  object-lesson  in  the  near  future. 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  fa 

The  fruit-growers  of  the  State  have  discovered  that  they 
are  near  the  most  valuable  markets  for  their  products  in  the 
United  States  ;  also  that  the  soil  and  climate  are  adapted  to 
growing  the  finer  varieties  ;  that  it  only  needs  attention  to 
business  to  produce  those  that  bring  the  highest  price  when 
marketed,  and  that  there  is  ready  sale  for  all  that  can  be 

grown. 

A.  G.  GULLEY, 

Professor  of  Horticulture,  Conn.  Agricultural  College. 
PEACHES. 

Commercial  peach  culture  in  Connecticut,  although  a  com- 
paratively new  industry,  is  now  a  leading  feature  of  our  agri- 
culture. 

From  the  earliest  settlement,  peaches  have  always  been 
grown  for  home  supply  ;  the  first  commercial  orchard  of  any 
size  was  started  in  about  1875,  more  extensive  orchards  were 
planted  in  the  early  eighties,  and  the  first  heavy  impress 
on  the  markets  with  Connecticut  peaches  was  made  in  1887 
and  1889.  Large  size,  great  beauty,  and  fine  flavor  opened 
the  way  for  ready  sale  at  high  prices.  Thousands  of  trees 
were  planted  in  the  next  few  years,  so  that  by  1896  there 
were  one  million  five  hundred  thousand  trees  in  the  orchards 
of  Connecticut,  and  now,  five  years  later,  there  are  over  three 
millions. 

Hartford,  New  Haven,  Middlesex,  and  Fairfield  counties 
have  the  most  trees  in  the  order  named,  while  Tojland,  New 
London,  Windham,  and  Litchfield  follow  with  a  less  number. 
While  a  few  townships  in  the  State  have  but  little  land  suit- 
able for  peaches,  in  nearly  every  township  there  are  many 
hundreds  of  acres  suitable  to  profitable  peach  culture. 

The  earliest  large  plantings  were  mostly  on  elevated  fields 
that  had  been  used  for  mowing  or  tillage,  but  at  this  time, 
for  the  sake  of  elevation  and  suitable  frost  and  air  drainage, 
many  acres  of  so-called  abandoned  farm  lands  on  hillsides  and 
hilltops  are  being  cleared  of  brush  and  timber  and  planted  to 
peaches  ;  lands  that  can  be  bought  at  from  $10  to  $20  per 

5 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  fa 

acre,  when  cleared  and  planted  in  peaches,  in  four  or  five 
years  return  profits  of  $200  to  $303  per  acre,  and  often  twice 
as  much.  In  the  earlier  plantings,  medium  to  later  varieties, 
such  as  Oldmixon,  Late  Crawford,  Stump,  etc.,  were  planted 
so  as  to  supply  the  markets  after  Delaware  and  New  Jersey 
peaches  were  out  of  the  way,  but  experience  has  shown  that 
no  matter  what  the  season,  Connecticut-grown  peaches,  by 
their  superb  size,  beauty,  and  flavor,  will  drive  all  others  out 


PEACH   PACKING.      J.   H.  HALE. 

of  New  England  markets.  So  that,  in  recent  years,  early  and 
medium  varieties  are  being  planted,  and  the  fruiting  season 
is  now  from  July  I5th  to  October  loth.  Most  orchardists 
practice  thinning  the  fruit,  so  that  the  trees  are  never  allowed 
to  overload.  Marketing  is  mostly  in  i6-quart  Jersey  baskets, 
and  from  the  present  outlook  the  1901  crop  of  Connecticut 
peaches  will  be  upwards  of  three  million  baskets,  worth  at 
least  $2,000,000  in  the  orchards.  Careful  investigation  shows 
that  for  surety  of  crop,  Connecticut  is  as  reliable  a  peach- 
growing  State  as  any  in  the  Union.  In  the  last  twenty  years 
it  has  had  ten  full  crops  of  fruit,  three  fairly  good  ones,  three 
partial  ones,  and  four  almost  total  failures.  One  of  the  fail- 


63  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

ures  was  caused  by  a  frost  in  May,  when  the  trees  were  in 
bloom  ;  one  by  two  weeks  of  warm,  rainy  weather  at  bloom- 
ing time,  and  all  others  by  extremes  of  frost,  from  12  to  22 
below  zero,  that  killed  the  dormant  buds  in  winter.  Six 
years  out  of  eight  the  freezing  was  done  between  December 
22d  and  January  2d ;  once  it  was  done  late  in  January  and 
once  again  late  in  February.  The  older  so-called  peach-grow- 
ing States  cannot  show  as  good  a  record  as  this. 

J.  H.  HALE,  South  Glastonbury. 

Mr.  Hale,  the  pioneer  in  peach  culture,  fears  no  competi- 
tion. When  Connecticut  is  supplied,  other  markets  are  ready 
for  our  surplus.  His  Georgia  peach  orchard  only  prepares 
the  way  for  the  sale  of  the  Connecticut  crop,  and  he  wel- 
comes every  effort  to  extend  this  industry. 

GRAPE    CULTURE. 

The  beginning  of  my  grape  culture  was  in  1856.  Situa- 
tion for  vines  was  on  the  southern  slope  of  Mt.  Carmel,  near 
the  base,  where  the  soil  is  largely  composed  of  the  disinte- 
grated trap-rock  which  protrudes  through  the  layers  of  the 
sandstone  underlying  the  lower  section  of  this  locality.  The 
varieties  then  known  for  culture  were  Isabella  and  Catawba. 
About  .ten  years  later  the  Concord  and  Clinton  were  planted 
in  1864.  Being  then  a  novice  in  grape  culture,  and  wishing 
to  give  the  experiment  the  best  possible  care,  I  employed  a 
German  vine-dresser  and  gave  the  care  of  the  vineyard  to 
him.  The  success  in  growing  grapes  was  phenomenal,  and 
proved  beyond  controversy  that  Connecticut  is  the  home  of 
the  grape. 

My  vineyards,  cared  for  and  planted  by  the  old  German 
vine-dresser,  who  had  been  a  soldier  in  many  wars,  are  still 
productive.  They  have  endured  the  scourge  of  the  black  rot 
which  has  devastated  so  many  vineyards,  and  though  not  al- 
ways escaping,  have  recovered  from  its  ravages,  and  vines  are 
still  fruitful  at  an  age  of  nearly  forty  years. 


JQ  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

The  vines  planted  by  cuttings,  without  removal,  in  the 
sandstone  rock  broken  up  to  a  depth  of  two  feet,  are,  as  the 
old  vine-dresser  predicted  at  the  planting,  now  the  most  pro- 
ductive. Later,  in  1890,  I  caused  a  new  vineyard  to  be 
planted  wholly  by  cuttings  of  the  Concord,  without  fertiliza- 
tion, which  have  produced  full  crops  of  grapes  during  the  past 
few  years,  and  have  been  entirely  free  from  rot,  without  hav- 
ing made  use  of  any  preventive  on  this  special  vineyard. 
At  the  planting  the  soil  was  worked,  and  continued  to  be  for 
a  few  successive  years.  Later,  as  a  test  to  avoid  rot  and  les- 
sen the  growth  of  the  vine,  no  culture  has  been  given.  The 
annual  pruning  is  all  the  outlay.  The  yield  has  been  suffi- 
ciently large  to  insure  success,  and  proves  our  soil  and  cli- 
mate is  the  home  of  the  grape.  If  a  forced  large  growth  in- 
duces disease,  curtailment  of  production  may  be  the  best 
remedy. 

The  Green  Mountain  grape  has  also  endured  this  severe 
test  with  perfect  success,  and  fully  ripened  on  full-bearing 
vines  in  a  grass  sod.  My  tribute  of  praise  is  due  the  Green 
Mountain  grape  as  the  best  out-of-door  grape  in  cultivation 
for  a  table  grape,  taking  into  account  its  early  ripening  and 
sweet  flavor  without  any  of  the  unpleasant  after-taste  caused 
by  a  surfeit. 

The  wine-making  qualities  of  the  Concord  and  Clinton 
grapes,  when  mixed  in  the  fermenting  tanks,  are  of  sufficient 
sweetness  without  sugar.  Very  truly  yours, 

J.   H.   DlCKERMAN. 

Apples  are  grown  successfully  all  over  the  State.  The 
strong  soil  of  the  hills  is  best  adapted  for  winter  fruit  in 
color,  flavor,  and  long-keeping. 

Peaches,  which  had  become  almost  extinct  from  the  yel- 
lows, restored  by  the  skill  of  a  few  cultivators,  find  a  conge- 
nial location  on  the  hills  in  the  less  elevated  parts  of  the  State. 
The  quality  of  Connecticut  peaches  is  unsurpassed,  and  the 
market  is  the  best,  for  we  are  near  the  northern  limit  of  sue- 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  jl 

cessful  peach  culture.  All  the  small  fruits  thrive  well  under 
proper  care,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  fruit  growing,  intel- 
ligently conducted,  will  become  the  most  profitable  of  all 
branches  of  husbandry. 


FLORICULTURE   IN   THE    STATE. 

The  real  progress  of  a  State  or  people  can  often  be  best 
measured  by  their  wise  departure  from  the  utilitarian  idea. 
It  is  possible  to  reduce  the  wants  and  needs  of  daily  life  down 
to  very  narrow  limits ;  the  people  who  have  the  lowest  civili- 
zation exhibit  the  fewest  desires  with  the  most  sordid  life, 
while  real  progress  can  be  measured  by  the  expansion  of 
healthy  tastes  and  the  desire  for  beautiful  things.  The  moral 
worth  of  a  nation  is  estimated  by  its  decorative  habits  ;  os- 
tentatious display  of  senseless,  wasteful  luxury  marks  the  de- 


ROSE  GARDEN. 
C.  P.  Lincoln,  Wethersfield  Ave.,  Hartford,  Conn. 


Conn.  Monthly, 


>n.Gomt 


•Ms 

";fc4«. 


CARNATIONS. 
Raised  by  Arthur  Brandegee,  Berlin. 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  j~ 

cay  of  moral  worth,  while  the  culture  of  natural  beauty  is 
a  sure  demonstration  of  progress  in  all  good  and  worthy  life. 

The  love  and  culture  of  flowers  is  the  most  natural  of  all 
our  aesthetic  tastes  ;  it  enlarges  the  life  by  bringing  it  into 
sympathy  with  and  knowledge  of  the  laws  that  govern  our 
proper  development.  No  man  or  woman  can  properly  care 
for  a  garden  of  flowers  without  learning  much  more  than  the 
way  flowers  grow  ;  they  acquire  also  the  secret  of  self-culture, 
and  so  are  brought  into  harmony  with  the  essential  laws  upon 
which  all  progress  depends.  To  comprehend  the  methods  of 
Nature  in  any  department  of  her  work  is  to  understand  the 
principles  upon  which  all  her  efforts  are  made. 

The  last  decade  has  shown  wonderful  advance  upon  all 
others  in  the  florist's  art  in  the  State  of  Connecticut.  Un- 
fortunately, no  full  statistics  are  available,  but  the  amount  of 
glass  devoted  to  the  culture  of  flowers  has  doubled,  at  the 
very  least,  the  most  recent  figures  showing  about  eight  hun- 
dred thousand  square  feet  given  entirely  to  commercial  pur- 
poses, and  at  this  date  there  are  at  least  one  million,  for  every 
year  an  ever-increasing  amount  is  built.  No  other  business 
can  show  equal  development,  and  when  to  this  is  added  the 
many  costly  and  beautiful  private  greenhouses  that  are  found 
in  every  city,  the  enormous  strides  made  in  the  State  are 
apparent  to  all. 

The  effect  of  this  advance  in  the  culture  of  beauty  is 
everywhere  apparent,  and  seen  in  two  results  :  the  increased 
value  of  property  and  the  more  attractive  appearance  of  every 
town,  village,  and  city  in  the  State.  Some  of  our  villages 
and  small  towns  are  like  parks  or  large  gardens  ;  there  is 
universal  striving  on  the  part  of  the  people  to  adorn  the 
grounds  under  their  control  with  all  possible  beauty,  and  the 
old-time  neglected,  weedy  dooryard  that  was  an  eyesore  to  the 
passer-by  is  seldom  to  be  found.  The  people  have  discov- 
ered that  no  embellishment  is  so  cheap  or  so  effective  as  a 
garden  rich  with  all  the  charms  collected  from  the  best  flora 
of  the  earth,  and  brought  within  their  reach  by  the  skill  and 


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HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 


enterprise  of  the  professional  florist  ;  and  while  the  rich  may 
have  their  jewels  and  picture  galleries,  the  poor  have  equal 
loveliness  within  their  reach  through  the  modern  develop- 
ment of  the  florist's  art. 

And  it  is  no  disparagement  to  the  professional  florist  to 
say  that  some  of  the  most  beautiful  flowers  are  grown  by  the 
amateur.  Nature  is  ready  with  her  kind  responses  to  all  who 
take  the  trouble  to  seek  her  treasures,  and  many  who  grow 
flowers  in  the  State  solely  for  the  joy  they  find  in  the  recre- 
ation, accomplish  as  much  in  the  revelation  of  beauty  as  those 
who  give  their  lives  to  the  work. 

It  would  be  invidious  to  name  but  a  few  of  the  many  suc- 
cessful florists,  and  impossible  to  name  them  all,  but  one  may 
be  mentioned  who  has,  by  great  skill  and  industry,  created 
the  largest  plant  in  New  England  —  Mr.  Pierson  of  Crom- 
well ;  any  visitor  will  be  more  than  repaid  by  a  visit  to  his 
wholesale  establishment,  and  see  there  how  flowers  are  grown 
and  packed  for  distribution  to  every  part  of  the  country,  while 
on  the  other  hand,  the  carnations  pictured  in  this  book  were 
grown  in  a  small  house,  and  yet  can  vie  with  any  raised  any- 
where. They  were  grown  by  Mr.  Arthur  Brandegee  of  Ber- 
lin, who  grows  flowers  only  because  he  loves  them,  and  are 
not  surpassed  in  beauty  by  the  product  of  any  professional 
florist. 

To  give  some  idea  of  the  enormous  magnitude  of  the 
business  done  by  A.  N.  Pierson  it  may  be  stated  that  in  the 
year  1900,  of  the  staple  flowers  —  roses,  carnations,  bunches 
of  lily  of  the  valley,  and  violets  —  the  sales  reached  about 
three  millions.  Of  roses  alone  there  were  1,154,012,  and  the 
cash  returns  exceeded  $120,000.  There  are  an  average  num- 
ber of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  men  employed,  and  the 
amount  paid  for  labor  was  about  $56,000.  The  establishment 
is  the  main  stay  of  Cromwell,  and  the  generosity  and  good 
citizenship  of  Mr.  Pierson  is  felt  throughout  the  town,  while 
the  rapidity  of  the  growth  of  the  business  proves  not  only 


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HANDBOOK  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE. 


the  intelligence   of  its  founder,  but   the   increasing  love   of 
flowers  through  the  community. 

And  we  are  only  in  the  beginning.  The  era  of  universal 
barrenness  and  ugliness  is  past ;  the  new  one  of  universal 
beauty  is  not  yet  here,  but  it  is  coming,  and  no  class  of  men 
will  do  more  to  hasten  its  advent  than  those  who  grow  flow- 
ers and  place  them  within  the  reach  of  everybody. 

REV.  MAGEE  PRATT,  Hartford. 


THE  NEW  CANAAN    NURSERY. 
STEPHEN  HOYT'S  SONS. 

Established  in  1848  by  Stephen  Hoyt  of  New  Canaan 
and  David  C.  Scofield  of  Mexico,  NMY.  In  1853  Mr.  Scofield 
sold  out  to  his  two  sons,  Lewis  and  Rufus.  In  1856  Mr. 
Hoyt  bought  out  their  interests  and  took  in  as  partners  his 
two  sons,  Edwin  and  James.  Mr.  Stephen  Hoyt  died  in 
1879.  The  firm  name  was  then  changed  to  Stephen  Hoyt's 
Sons.  At  first  the  business  was  confined  to  fruit  trees  and 
small  fruits ;  later  enlarged  to  embrace  also  forest  and 
ornamental  trees,  shrubs,  and  plants.  The  farm  now  con- 
tains five  hundred  acres  —  over  two  hundred  in  nursery. 
Stone  were  abundant  and  the  soil  impoverished.  The  fields 
have  been  cleared,  drained,  and  by  judicious  fertilization  and 
culture  the  soil  is  very  productive.  The  stock  consists  of 
forty  head  of  neat  cattle  and  eighteen  horses ;  men  employed 
in  the  busy  season  one  hundred,  the  rest  of  the  year,  fifty. 
This  is  the  largest  nursery  in  New  England  and  is  celebrated 
for  the  quality  of  the  stock.  The  Green  Mountain  Grape,., 
the  earliest  good  grape,  and  the  October  purple  plum  are 
some  of  their  introductions.  They  have  an  orchard  of 
peaches  of  twenty  acres  and  are  preparing  to  plant  apples  on 
a  large  scale.  Stephen,  son  of  Edwin  Hoyt,  is  also  a  member 
of  the  firm. 


^g  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

SEED   GROWING, 
S.  D.  WOODRUFF  &  SONS,  ORANGE,  CONN, 

Seed  growers  and  dealers.    Also  dealers   in  agricultural  implements,  fertiliz- 
ers, etc. 

The  seed-growing  industry  of  New  Haven  county,  Con- 
necticut, was  established  about  1825  by  Benjamin  Hodge  of 
Derby,  and  Sherman  Stone,  who  lived  on  the  Derby  Turn- 
pike in  Orange.  Mr.  Stone  had  a  seed  garden  of  about  eight 
acres,  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall  eight  feet  high  ;  part  of  this 
wall  still  remains  in  perfect  condition.  Dan  Fenn  of  Milford 
was  prominent  in  the  seed  trade  fifty  years  ago.  From  the 
example  of  the  above-named  pioneers  in  seed  growing  there 
has  sprung  up  a  large  number  of  farmers  who  make  the  pro- 
ducing of  garden  seeds  of  various  kinds  their  chief  money 
crop.  Prominent  among  these  is  the  well-known  firm  of  S. 
D.  Woodruff  &  Sons  of  Orange,  Conn.  This  house  was  es- 
tablished in  1865  by  Mr.  S.  D.  Woodruff,  who  devoted  his 
energy  to  producing  special  select  stocks  of  seed  for  the 
wholesale  seed  dealers  throughout  the  country.  In  1891,  the 
business  having  by  this  time  become  enlarged,  Mr.  Woodruff 
associated  with  himself  his  two  sons,  Frank  C.  Woodruff  and 
Watson  S.  Woodruff,  and  the  firm  issued,  in  1892,  a  retail 
seed  catalogue.  Each  year  since  1892  an  issue  in  enlarged 
form  has  been  mailed  to  thousands  of  customers  in  all  parts 
of  the  country.  These  catalogues  are  ready  each  January, 
and  are  sent  free  to  all  who  write  for  a  copy. 

As  the  demand  for  all  kinds  of  seeds  has  very  greatly  in- 
creased for  the  past  few  years,  Messrs.  Woodruff  have  in- 
creased the  acreage  of  their  plant  until  they  now  have  four 
farms  devoted  to  the  culture  of  seeds.  The  business  gives 
employment  to  twenty-five  people  all  the  year  around. 
Prominent  among  the  seeds  produced  by  this  firm  are  :  car- 
rot, onion,  parsnip,  beet,  turnip,  tomato,  squash,  cucumber, 
seed  potatoes,  onion  sets,  and  sweet  and  field  corn  seeds. 
Attention  is  directed  to  a  photograph,  reproduced  here,  taken 


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HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 


in  August,  1899,  of  a  ten-acre  field  of  onion  seed  on  the  home 
farm  of  this  firm. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  more  garden  seeds  and  sweet 
corn  are  produced  in  the  town  of  Orange  and  the  adjacent 
towns  of  Milford  and  Woodbridge,  Connecticut,  than  in  any 
other  section  of  the  country. 

MILFORD,  CONN. 

Seed  growing  requires  not  only  great  skill,  but  constant 
care  and  attention.  No  seed  grower  should  be  satisfied  un- 
less he  is  improving  his  type  of  vegetables  in  quality,  embrac- 
ing color,  shape,  size,  and  early  maturity.  He  must  con- 
stantly watch  the  development  of  his  plants  that  he  may  be 
able  to  detect  every  variation.  Climatic  conditions  are  im- 
portant elements  to  be  considered,  and  every  detail  of  growth 
if  one  wishes  to  keep  his  stock  up  to  the  standard  or  make 
progress.  Great  care  must  be  used  to  prevent  mixture 
from  prevailing  winds  carrying  the  pollen  when  the  plants  are 
in  bloom,  and  thus  working  ruin  upon  varieties  set  in  too 
close  proximity.  The  seed  business  has  kept  fully  abreast  of 
the  times  ;  many  new  and  choice  varieties  are  coming  to  the 

front. 

EVERETT  B.  CLARK, 

For  The  E.  B.  Clark  Co. 

MARKET   GARDENING. 

We  have  obtained  from  Mr.  Farnham,  the  largest  small 
fruit  and  vegetable  grower  in  the  State,  a  list  of  his  principal 
crops  for  1900.  He  combines  other  branches  of  agriculture 
with  his  market  gardening.  He  improves  to  the  best  advan- 
tage the  opportunities  of  obtaining  fertilizers  from  the  city, 
and  turns  to  profit  the  refuse  from  his  market  gardening. 

A.  N.  FARNHAM,  NEW  HAVEN,  CONN. 

Grower  of  fruits,  plants,  and  vegetables,  Crescent  Gardens,  Westville.     Breeder 
of  high  class  swine,  land  and  water  fowl.    New  milch  cows  constantly  on  hand. 

We  raised  in  1900:  1.296  bushels  Lima  beans,  276  bushels  dandelions, 
3,575  dozen  bunches  beets  +  bushels,  414  bushels  string  beans,  160,528  ears 
•sweet  corn,  4,206  dozens  cucumbers,  8,367  citron  melons,  6,536  watermelons, 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE  gr 

4,000  lettuce,  2,187  bunches  onions,  3,000  bushels  onions,  400  bushels  peppers, 
4,879  bushels  potatoes,  1,500  dozen  radish,  2,100  dozen  squash,  680  bushels 
spinach,  49,292  quarts  strawberries  ;  7,792  baskets  tomatoes,  3,890  quarts  rasp- 
berries, 8,791  quarts  blackberries,  1,091  bbls.  kale,  10,388  Ibs.  grapes,  10,079 
quarts  currants. 

The  raising  of  onions  and  other  vegetables  for  New  York 
is  conducted  successfully  in  all  the  shore  towns  of  F  airfield 
county.  Seed  is  bred  with  very  great  care  by  these  market- 
men,  and  their  home-grown  seed  has  often  a  pedigree  of  half 
a  century  on  the  same  farm  or  neighborhood,  and  they  would 
not  use  as  a  gift  seed  grown  elsewhere. 

In  proximity  to  all  our  cities  small  fruits  and  vegetables 
are  raised  for  market  in  connection,  generally,  with  milk  sup- 
ply, but  all  over  the  State  the  home  garden  and  orchard  fur- 
nish to  the  professional  man,  as  well  as  to  the  farmer  and  ar- 
tisan, luxuries  and  substantiate  of  living,  and  in  most  families 
these  labors  instead  of  toil  are  recreation  to  all  the  household 
and  make  a  threefold  return  for  the  time  bestowed,  in  food, 
in  health,  and  in  change  of  employment,  which  is  better  than 
idleness,  for  rest.  These  family-kept  gardens  rival,  in  their 
products  of  fruits  and  flowers,  those  of  the  florists  and  pro- 
fessional gardeners,  and  of  the  suburban  grounds  where  spe- 
cial gardeners  are  employed  ;  and  though  Connecticut  is  not 
all  a  garden,  it  is  full  of  gardens,  for  soil  and  climate  are 
kindly,  and  the  nooks  and  corners  of  this  little  State  furnish 
shelter  and  adaptation,  and  lend  a  charm  to  these  artificial 
adornments. 

Wethersfield  and  vicinity  for  a  century  has  been  promi- 
nent in  onion  culture.  Of  late  years,  growing  seed  of  onions 
and  other  vegetables  has  taken  the  place  as  a  market  product, 
and  the  reputation  of  Wethersfield  seeds  is  not  confined  to 
Connecticut. 

THE  TOBACCO  CROP  IN  CONNECTICUT. 

Almost  from  the  time  of  its  settlement,  tobacco  has  been 
raised  in  Connecticut.  As  early  as  1640  its  culture  was 
favored  by  laws  which  restricted  the  use  of  tobacco  to  that 

6 


g2  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

grown  within  the  colony,  by  a  fine  of  five  shillings  for  every 
pound  expended  on  the  foreign-grown  article.  In  1662  a  duty 
of  two  pence  per  pound  was  laid  on  all  tobacco  brought  into 
Connecticut. 

Nearly  a  century  later  inspectors  were  appointed  to  see 
that  only  sound,  merchantable  leaf  was  exported  from  the 
colony. 

It  is  stated  that  at  no  time  prior  to  1800  did  the  annual 
production  of  the  State  exceed  twenty  thousand  pounds. 

By  1840  it  was  a  regular  farm  crop  in  the  Connecticut 
Valley.  It  was  not  till  1845  that  it  was  introduced  into  the 
Housatonic  Valley. 

At  first  "shoestring"  tobacco,  a  narrow-leaved  variety, 
was  raised.  This  was  a  heavy-bodied  leaf  and  unsuited  for 
wrappers.  In  1833  Mr.  B.  P.  Barber  of  East  Windsor  is  said 
to  have  introduced  from  Maryland  the  broad-leaved  variety, 
which  was  specially  suited  for  cigar  wrappers,  and  which  is 
now  chiefly  raised  in  New  England. 

At  present  two  sorts  are  raised, —  "  Connecticut  Broad- 
leaf,"  seen  in  its  perfection  east  of  the  Connecticut  River 
near  Hartford,  and  "  Connecticut  Havana,"  which  is  raised 
much  more  commonly  than  the  other,  both  in  the  Connecti- 
cut and  Housatonic  Valleys.  Both  varieties  are  thin,  elastic, 
silky,  having  little  flavor,  and  commanding  higher  prices  than 
any  other  wrapper-leaf  raised  in  the  United  States,  excepting 
a  comparatively  small  amount  of  Sumatra  leaf  raised  in  Gads- 
den  Co.,  Florida. 

At  present  more  than  eight  thousand  acres  are  planted  to 
tobacco  in  this  State,  yielding  over  two  million  pounds  of 
cured  tobacco  leaf.  The  prices  vary  very  greatly,  and  there 
is  no  other  crop  in  which  quality  makes  such  radical  differ- 
ences in  market  price.  The  very  highest  prices  paid  for  any 
crops  raised  in  1900  were  perhaps  twenty-eight  to  thirty  cents 
per  pound  in  the  bundle.  Fifteen  to  eighteen  cents  per 
pound  was  about  the  average  price. 

The  only  lands  well  suited  to  the  crop  are  light,  sandy 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  g^ 

soils  and  sandy  loams.  Clay  in  the  soil,  whatever  the  system 
of  fertilization  or  tillage,  makes  the  leaf  too  dark  and  heavy 
for  the  present  trade  demands,  nor  can  wrapper-leaf  of  good 
quality  be  grown  within  twenty  miles  of  salt  water. 

The  available  tobacco  lands  of  the  Connecticut  Valley 
have  been  mapped  by  the  Division  of  Soils  of  the  U.  S.  De- 
partment of  Agriculture,  and  we  understand  that  a  similar 
map  of  the  Housatonic  Valley  is  contemplated. 

Tobacco  soils  require  very  liberal  fertilization,  the  cost  for 
fertilizers  alone  ranging  from  fifty  to  eighty  dollars  an  acre. 
Cotton-seed  meal,  castor  pomace,  tobacco  stems,  bone,  cotton 
hull  ashes,  wood  ashes,  and  sulphates  of  potash,  with  horse 
manure,  are  the  materials  most  used.  Muriates  and  large  ap- 
plications of  quickly  decomposing  animal  matters  seriously 
damage  the  burning  quality  and  flavor  of  the  leaf. 

The  quality  of  leaf  has  been  gradually  improved  during 
the  last  twenty  years  to  meet  the  more  exacting  demands  of 
the  tobacco  trade.  In  1892  an  association  of  tobacco  grow- 
ers was  formed  —  The  Connecticut  Tobacco  Experiment  Co. 
—  which,  in  co-operation  with  the  Connecticut  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station  in  New  Haven,  has  been  engaged  ever 
since  in  experiments  on  the  fertilization,  curing,  and  ferment- 
ation of  the  wrapper-leaf. 

The  results  of  this  work  are  annually  published  in  the 
Reports  of  the  Agricultural  Station  and  have  commanded 
widespread  attention. 

At  present,  experiments  are  in  progress,  in  a  considerable 
number  of  places,  on  the  growth,  in  Connecticut,  of  Sumatra 
wrapper-leaf,  under  artificial  screen  and  shade.  The  work  of 
the  Tobacco  Co.  and  the  Agricultural  Station  in  1900,  co-op- 
erating with  the  Division  of  Soils  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture,  demonstrated  that  exceptionally  fine  leaf  of  this 
variety  could  be  grown  in  the  State.  The  tests  now  in  prog- 
ress will  tend  to  show  whether,  at  present  prices,  this  can  be 
done  at  a  profit. 

E.  H.  JENKINS,  PH.D. 


84 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 


SHEEP    INDUSTRY. 

In  location  and  soil  this  State  is  peculiarly  adapted  to 
sheep  raising.  The  uplands  are  rolling  or  hilly,  and  the  val- 
leys well  drained,  so  that  almost  the  entire  State,  except 
where  land  is  too  valuable  for  other  uses,  is  suitable  for  sheep 
grazing. 

While  it  may  be  said  that  no  pasture  is  too  good  for  a 
sheep,  it  is  equally  true  that  sheep  will  thrive  on  rough  hillside 
or  weedy  pastures  not  well  adapted  for  dairy  or  beef  cattle. 

Not  only  is  this  State  an  ideal  place  for  growing  and  keep- 
ing sheep,  but  nowhere  else  can  the  flockmaster  get  so  quick 
and  so  adequate  returns  for  his  marketable  products.  The 
great  woolen  industries  are  in  the  Eastern  States,  and  the 
wholesale  wool  dealers  of  Hartford  pay  the  highest  prices  for 
wool,  while  the  freight  from  any  point  in  Connecticut  is  so 
small  a  percentage  of  the  price  as  hardly  to  be  appreciable. 

While  the  climate  and  pasturage  are  suitable  for  all  breeds 
of  sheep,  the  markets  make  a  medium  or  coarse  wool  sheep 
most  profitable.  While  the  fleeces  may  not  be  quite  so 
heavy,  the  wool  brings  a  good  price  and  the  lambs  and  mut- 
ton find  near  by,  in  all  parts  of  the  State,  the  best  of  markets. 

It  may  be  possible  to  put  Western  spring  lamb  into  Con- 
necticut markets  as  good  as  even  the  mutton  from  a  South 
Down  sheep  fattened  on  Connecticut  hills,  but  an  experience 
of  many  years  would  not  warrant  me  in  saying  that  it  ever 
was  done. 

As  our  butter  and  eggs  bring  a  better  price  than  Western 
products,  because  of  our  nearness  to  markets,  and  the  fitness 
of  our  soil  and  surroundings  enable  us  to  produce  these  arti- 
cles and  get  them  to  the  consumer  in  the  best  possible  con- 
dition, so  our  lamb  and  mutton  should  and  would,  if  properly 
marketed,  bring  not  only  more  than  the  Western  farmer  gets, 
but  more  than  the  Western  meat  retails  for  in  Eastern 
markets. 

With  such  advantages  it  may  be  considered  remarkable 
that  Connecticut  has  not  more  flockmasters.  The  manufact- 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  gr 

uring  villages  that  furnish  us  the  best  markets  in  the  world 
unfortunately  furnish  many  dogs  that  enjoy  an  occasional 
day's  or  night's  outing,  and  within  five  miles  of  such  a  place 
sheep  must  have  some  protection.  On  some  farms  sheep 
may  be  pastured  so  near  the  farmhouse  that  at  the  sight  of  a 
dog  they  will  run  for  the  yard. 

As  the  State  pays  a  bounty  of  $10  for  the  killing  of  a  dog 
found  worrying  sheep,  this  plan  adds  rather  than  subtracts 
from  the  profits  of  sheep  keeping.  There  are  thousands  of 
acres  of  land  in  Connecticut  admirably  adapted  for  sheep 
pasture  that  can  be  bought  at  a  low  price.  Such  land  usually 
needs  fencing,  and  at  the  present  time  a  wire-netting  fence  is 
more  economical  than  a  rail  fence.  Such  a  fence  should  be 
high  enough  to  keep  in  sheep  and  keep  out  dogs.  No  care- 
ful observer  doubts  but  that  the  time  is  near  at  hand  when 
thousands  of  acres  of  Connecticut  land  now  lying  idle  will 
again  be  pastured,  and  in  the  reclaiming  of  these  pastures 
there  is  no  animal  to  be  compared  to  the  sheep. 

R.    S.    HlNMAN. 


OLD   WOOLEN   MILL  Conn.  Monthly. 

Of  Gen.  David  Humphreys;   built  1806,  Seymour,  formerly  Humphreysville. 


86 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 


The  early  settlers  brought  the  common  sheep  of  England 
with  them.  Britain  had  then  many  distinct  breeds,  but  un- 
improved, producing  coarse  or  medium  wool  well  adapted  to 
home  manufacture,  hardy  and  prolific.  Black  sheep  or  a  dark 
brown  were  quite  common  and  were  favorites,  as  the  wool 
needed  no  coloring. 

But  a  great  change  took  place  in  1802  when  Gen.  David 


ANGORA   GOATS. 
Owned  by  the  late  Hon.  James  A.  Bill,  Lyme. 

Humphreys  of  Derby  imported  two  hundred  Merino  sheep 
from  Spain.  The  laws  of  Spain  did  not  allow  the  export  of 
these  sheep,  but  Gen.  Humphreys,  our  minister  to  Spain,  was 
permitted  to  bring  with  him  a  flock  of  these  sheep  that 
wrought  a  greater  revolution  in  agriculture  in  America  and 
the  world  than  any  other  incident  in  history. 

Consul   William  Jarvis  from   Vermont   in    1809  obtained 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT   AGRICULTURE.  g~ 

200  more,  followed  by  larger  importations  by  the  thousands, 
by  himself  and  others.  Bred  pure  and  improved  by  the  At- 
woods  and  others  of  Litchfield  county,  and  by  the  Vermont- 
ers,  they  have  had  a  world-wide  reputation,  and  in  twenty-five 
years,  by  cross  breeding,  had  obliterated  our  old  stock  of  so- 
called  natives.  Later,  importation  of  French  Merinos  by  the 
late  John  A.  Taintor  of  Hartford,  and  of  the  various  breeds 
of  English  sheep,  have  given  us  some  of  the  best  stock  of  the 
world,  and  it  is  difficult  to  account  for  the  lack  of  interest,  the 
depression  in  this  department  of  agriculture,  the  neglect  of 
an  animal  so  important  in  developing  the  natural  resources  of 
the  State,  but  a  revival  will  surely  come,  for  as  Mr.  Chamber- 
lain says  in  his  letter  elsewhere,  "  this  is  not  prophecy  but  a 
necessity."  Gen.  Humphreys  was  a  native  of  Derby;  gradu- 
ated at  Yale,  1771  ;  showed  much  literary  talent ;  served  his 
country  as  a  patriot  and  a  soldier.  "  He  also  did  much  for 
the  promotion  of  agriculture;  and  just  previous  to  his  death, 
in  1818,  was  making  exertions  to  form  a  society  for  the  pur- 
pose of  procuring  a  farm  for  agricultural  experiments." 


LARGE    HAY    CROPS,   GROWN    BY   GEORGE    M.   CLARK,   OF 
HIGGANUM,  CONN. 

These  cuts  show  a  portion  of  an  acre,  which  in  1887  pro- 
duced 12,245  pounds  of  dry  hay  first  crop.  This  acre  has 
produced  more  than  six  tons  of  dry  hay,  first  crop,  eachjyear 


HAY   FIELD. 
Geo.  M.  Clark,  Higganum. 


gg  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

since  that  time.  Seven-eighths  of  an  acre  adjoining  has 
yielded  87  tons  of  dry  hay  at  one  seeding,  two  crops  each 
year,  in  eleven  years.  This  land,  in  1886,  was  considered  one 
of  the  worst  worn  sections  in  New  England,  and  in  fifteen 
months,  by  intense  cultivation,  care  and  less  than,  a  quarter 
of  an  ounce  to  the  square  foot  per  year  of  bone,  muriate 
of  potash,  and  nitrate  of  soda,  it  has  yielded,  as  above  stated, 


HAY  CROP 

Of  Geo.  M.  Clark,  Higganum.     Over  six  tons  of  hay  raised  on  an  acre. 

more  than  six  tons  each  year.  There  is  much  talk  about  the 
worn  farms  of  New  England,  but  if  the  land  is  intensely  cul- 
tivated and  properly  cared  for,  it  is  one  of  the  most  produc- 
tive sections  on  this  continent.  I  speak  from  a  personal 
knowledge  of  the  soil  conditions. 

I  have  found  it  easy  to  make  $50.00  per  year,  net  cash 
profit,  on  an  acre,  growing  grass.  A  great  many. others  are 
making  double  and  triple  that  amount  on  an  acre  by  giving  it 
more  care.  All  that  is  required  to  make  money  on  these 
worn  farms,  is  correct  cultivation,  and  proper  care,  seed- 
ing, etc. 

GEORGE  M.  CLARK. 

Mr.  Clark  has  kindly  furnished  this  brief  statement  of  his 
success  in  grass  growing.  The  capacity  of  Connecticut  soil 
in  grass  production,  this  foundation  crop  in  all  successful 
agriculture,  has  never  been  more  thoroughly  tested  than  in 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE.  gg 

this  case.  The  tools  of  the  Higganum  Company  have  here 
had  a  trial  of  what  they  can  do  when  rightly  handled.  Grass 
culture  alone  could  justly  fill  this  little  book. 


President, 

JONATHAN  TRUMBULL, 
Norwich. 

Vice-President, 

EDWIN  S.  GREELEY, 

New  Haven. 

Secretary, 

CHARLES  G.  STONE, 
Hartford. 


Treasurer, 

JOHN  C.  HOLLISTER, 
New  Haven. 

Registrar, 

HOBART  L.  HOTCHKISS, 

New  Haven. 

Historian, 

JOSEPH  G.WOODWARD, 
Hartford. 


THE   LEBANON  WAR   OFFICE, 

The  Lebanon  War  Office  was  given  to  the  Connecticut 
Society  of  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution  by  its  owner, 
Mrs.  Bethiah  H.  Wattles,  in  1891.  The  building  was  re- 
paired and  restored  by  that  Society,  and  dedicated  June  15, 
1901.  It  was  the  headquarters  of  the  Council  of  Safety  dur- 


Sons  Am.  Rev. 
WAR  OFFICE  GOV.  JONATHAN  TRUMBULL,  LEBANON. 


HANDBOOK  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE.         Q[ 

ing  the  entire  period  of  the  Revolution,  and   1,145  meetings 
of  the  Council  were  held  in  the  building. 

For  further  particulars  regarding  this  historic  landmark 
and  its  important  history,  reference  may  be  had  to  a  book 
published  by  the  Connecticut  Society,  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution,  entitled  "The  Lebanon  War  Office." 


GROTON   MONUMENT. 


THE  WADSWORTH  ELM. 

The  fact  is  well  authenticated  that  it  was  at  this  tree, 
standing  in  front  of  the  Wadsworth  Athenaeum  in  Hartford, 
that  Washington  alighted  on  his  way  to  Cambridge,  June 


g2  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT   AGRICULTURE. 

29>  !775>  to  take  command  of  the  Continental  Army.  A 
bronze  tablet  has  been  placed  upon  the  tree  by  the  Connecti- 
cut Society  of  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  This  tab- 
let was  unveiled  on  the  2Qth  of  June,  1893.  See  year  book 
of  the  Society  for  1895-6. 

PUTNAM   PARK. 

This  fine  park  at  Redding,  Conn.,  is  kept  by  the  State  in 
commemoration  of  General  Israel  Putnam.  It  covers  the  en- 
tire camp  of  the  forces  under  his  command  encamped  in  Red- 
ding during  the  winter  of  1777-8. 

THE  GROTON  MONUMENT. 

As  the  inscription  reads  :  "  This  Monument  was  erected 
under  the  patronage  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  A.  D.  1830, 
in  memory  of  the  Brave  Patriots  who  fell  in  the  massacre  at 
Fort  Griswold  near  this  spot  on  the  6th  of  September,  1781." 
The  monument  stands  on  Groton  Heights,  opposite  New 
London,  Conn.,  and  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high. 
The  story  of  the  historic  event  it  commemorates  cannot  be 
told  within  the  present  limits.  It  is  fully  described  in  various 
histories  of  the  American  Revolution,  and  described  in  detail 
in  "  The  Battle  of  Groton  Heights,"  edited  by  Charles  Allyn 
of  New  London  in  1882. 

THE  NATHAN  HALE  SCHOOLHOUSE  AT  NEW  LONDON. 

This  building  has  recently  been  purchased  by  the  Connec- 
ticut Society  of  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  with  the 
co-operation  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution, 
and  is  now  being  restored  to  its  original  condition  and  located 
on  prominent  public  ground  in  New  London.  In  this  build- 
ing Nathan  Hale  taught  school  for  more  than  a  year,  leaving 
his  school  to  join  the  army,  at  the  time  of  the  Lexington 
alarm.  After  this  short  service  he  returned  to  New  London, 
and  in  July,  1775,  resigned  his  position  as  teacher  and  en- 
listed in  the  Continental  Army,  in  the  records  of  which  his 
name  stands  as  a  shining  example  of  self-sacrificing  patri- 
otism. Connecticut  is  proud  of  this  son  of  her  soil,  and  his 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 


93 


memory  is  honored  by  the  preservation  of  another  school- 
house  at  East  Haddam,  where  he  taught  before  coming  to 
New  London.  Several  statues  and  other  memorials  also 
honor  his  memory  within  the  State  and  elsewhere. 


Sons  Am.  Rev 
THE   NATHAN   HALE   SCHOOLHOUSE,  NEW  LONDON,  BEFORE  REMOVAL. 

CONNECTICUT  FORESTRY   ASSOCIATION. 

E.  V.  Preston,  President,  Hartford  ;  Miss  Mary  Winslow,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer,  Weatogue. 

Forestry  in  Connecticut  demands  more  than  a  passing 
notice.  Originally  covered  with  magnificent  forests  of  pine 
oak,  chestnut,  and  other  species  in  variety,  the  soil  is  so  nat- 
ural to  the  growth  of  trees  that  they  spring  up  everywhere  if 
Nature  is  allowed  to  have  her  own  way,  and  hence  besides 
the  memorial  village  and  roadside  trees  that  have  been  planted 
the  landscape  is  everywhere  dotted  with  trees  of  every  vari- 
ety often  rivaling  in  beauty  the  gems  of  a  well-kept  park. 
The  elm  and  the  hickory,  the  maple  and  the  oak,  attain  their 
fullest  development  on  our  hillsides.  The  beauty  thus  added 


94 


HANDBOOK  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE. 


to  rural  scenery  now  demands  attention,  and  the  value  of  tim- 
ber as  a  farm  product  is  admitted  as  one  means  of  utilizing 
lands  unsuited  to  cultivation.  Yale  University  and  Connect- 
icut Agricultural  College  have,  during  the  past  year,  added 
Forestry  to  their  curriculum,  and  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture  has  recently  given  attention  to  its  demands  for 
public  consideration. 


Conn.  Monthly. 

SOLDIERS'   MONUMENT,  KENSINGTON. 
The  first  monument  erected  in  the  country  to  the  Soldiers  of  the  Civil  War. 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 


95 


Tor.  Print.  Co. 
BIRTHPLACE  OF  JOHN   BROWN,  TORRINGTON,  CONN. 

The  Connecticut  Experiment  Station  is  also  making  prac- 
tical trials  in  tree  culture,  to  report  expenditure  and  re- 
sults. The  time  was  never  more  propitious  than  at  present 
for  favoring  an  intelligent  management  of  our  forests,  and  we 
have  high  hopes  that  success  will  crown  our  efforts. 


QUEEN  MARGARET'S  ELM,  SHARON. 


96 


HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 


ENTRANCE  TO   PUTNAM   MEMORIAL  PARK. 


Sons  A 111. 


CONNECTICUT    PARKS. 

Bridgeport. 


Seaside  Park, 
Beardsley  Park, 
Pembroke  Park, 
Washington  Park, 
Clinton  Park,      . 
Lafayette  Park, 
Wood  Park, 


Fort  Griswold  (National  Park). 


Meeting-house  Park, 
Field  Park, 


Grot  on. 
H add  am* 


ACRES. 
127 
152 
6 

4 


•75 
•  50 


291.25 


Keney  Park, 
Goodwin  Park,    . 


Hartford. 


665 
200 


*  These  parks  were  given  to  the  people  of  Haddam,  in  1880,  in  memory  of 
Dr.  David  Dudley  and  Submit  Dickinson  Field,  by  their  four  sons,  David  Dudley, 
Stephen,  Cyrus,  and  Henry  M.  Field. 


HANDBOOK  OF  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURE. 


97 


Elizabeth  Park,  . 
Pope  Park, 
Riverside  Park,  . 
Bushnell  Park,    . 
Capitol  Grounds, 
Sigourney  Square, 
Camp  Field, 
Barnard  Park, 
Ancient  Cemetery, 
Tunnel  Green,    . 
Village  Green,    . 
Franklin  Green, 
Buckingham  Green, 
Lafayette  Green, 
Maple  Green, 
Washington  Green, 


Hubbard  Park,   . 
City  Park, 


Walnut  Hill  Park, 
Central  Park, 
South  Park, 

Smalley  Park, 


East  Rock  Park, 
West  Rock  Park, 
Beaver  Pond  Park, 
Edgewood  Park, 
Fort  Hale  Park, 
Waterside  Park, 
New  Haven  Green, 
Bay  View  Park, 
Fort  Wooster  Park, 
Clinton  Park,      . 
Wooster  Square, 


Riverside  Park, 
Memorial  Park, 
Beach  Park, 

7 


Merzden. 


New  Britain. 


New  Haven. 


New  London. 


ACRES. 
IOO 
95-1 

78 
42 
15 

2.35 

3.10 

i. 06 
•77 
•  15 
.14 
.20 
.06 
.06 
.04 


800 
6 


•34 
•34 


350 
200 
125 
109.69 

49 
18 
16 

16 
• 
17.02 

5 
5 


1,204.22 


806 


101.09 


910.71 


g3  HANDBOOK    OF    CONNECTICUT    AGRICULTURE. 

ACRES.  ACRES. 

Williams  Park,    .  .  .  .  .  .  1.50 

Johnson  Park,     ....  .02 


13.52 

Norwich. 

Chelsea  Parade,  .....  2 

Laurel  Hill  Park,  .....  i 

Little  Plain,        .  .  .50 


3.50 

Redding. 
Putnam  Memorial  Park,  ....  40  40 

Watei  bury. 

Hamilton  Park,  .  .  .  .  .  41 

Centre  Square,    ......  2 


43 

Wzllimantic. 
The  Park  (unnamed),      ....  10  10 


Total  for  State,     ....  3,423  29 

List  compiled  by  G.  A.  Parker,  Secretary  New  England  Park  Association, 
Hartford. 


In  offering  this  tribute  in  the  interests  of  Connecticut 
agriculture,  I  desire  renewedly  to  express  my  thanks  to 
all  those  who  have  by  their  contributions  of  illustrations 
and  reading  matter,  enabled  me  to  publish  in  the  brief 
time  allowed  me  even  so  short  a  sketch  of  the  conditions 
in  Connecticut  affecting  agriculture  in  the  past  and  of 
promise  in  the  future.  Please  notice  that  many  of  our 
illustrations  are  accredited  to  the  Central  New  England 
Railway,  and  to  the  Connecticut  Monthly  Magazine. 

We  regret  »that  lack  of  space  and  time  does  not  allow 
of  accepting  many  other  offers  in  answer  to  our  requests: 

T.   S.   GOLD,   Secretary. 


WALTER    HUBBARD,  MERIDEN. 


CASTLE  CRAIG  TOWER,  MER1DEN,  LOOKING   WEST. 


FOURTEEN  DAY  USE 

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